Organ distribution of experimental metastases of a human colorectal carcinoma injected in nude mice

Abstract

The metastatic behavior of the HT-29 human colorectal carcinoma cell line was studied following injection into nude mice by different routes. After intrasplenic injection, experimental metastases formed in the livers of most mice. Variant lines were established in culture from the liver lesions and from tumors growing at the site of injection, the spleen. Cells of the HT-29 LMM line exhibited slightly enhanced ability to form liver metastases compared with cells of the non-selected parent line. When injected i.v., the HT-29 cells produced only a few small experimental metastases in the lungs, but in most of the mice macroscopic tumors were found in various lymph nodes and the interscapular fat. Analyses of the distribution of IdUrd-labeled cells did not reveal a preferential localization of the HT-29 cells in sites where metastases subsequently formed. This suggested that the growth of the human colon carcinoma cells in those sites might be the result of a stimulatory interaction between the tumor and host cells as opposed to growth in sites such as the lungs, where numerous cells arrested after i.v. injection but only a few, small metastases were seen 60 days later.

Rolling and adhesion of human tumor cells on vascular endothelium under physiological flow conditions.

“…The human tumor cell lines used were the HT-29M colon carcinoma (26), the OVCAR-3 ovarian carcinoma (27), the T-47D breast carcinoma (28), the A375M and A2058 melanomas (29,30), and the MG-63 osteosarcoma (25). Tumor cells were cultured as described in the respective references.…”

Metastasis from human breast cancer cell lines

“…To determine a tumor's ability to colonize the liver, cells can be injected directly into the portal vein [38] or into the spleen. Using a radioactive label to trace the distribution of human colon cancer cells after injection into the spleens of nude mice, we showed that greater than 90% of the cells were in the livers 10 minutes after injection [39]. When human breast cancer cells (106 cells in a volume of 0.05 ml) were injected into the spleens of female nude mice, liver metastases developed in 60% of mice injected with MDA-MB-231 cells (1 to 30 metastases) and in 40% of mice injected with MDA-MB-435 cells (1 to 10 metastases); spleen tumors grew in 90 to 100% of the mice.…”

Inhibitory Effect of ATF3 Antisense Oligonucleotide on Ectopic Growth of HT29 Human Colon Cancer Cells

“…Human colon cancer cells, including HT-29 cells, were reported to metastasize to the skin by intravenous inoculation, and subcutaneous growth was necessary in the process of tumor metastasis. 8) Since HT29 is not suitable for in vivo experimental metastasis studies because of its low metastatic potential, we adopted a subcutaneous inoculation model and studied the effects of ATF3 antisense oligonucleotide on HT29 cells in Balb/ nude mice inoculated subcutaneously. In the process of subcutaneous growth, the interaction with the matrix and invasion are thought to be important factors.…”