Journal Article

OsteoSense, Animals; Bone Remodeling; Disease Models, Animal; Equipment Design; Female; Fluorescence; Head and Neck Neoplasms/pathology/radiography; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/*methods; Lung Neoplasms/pathology/radiography; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental/pathology/radiography; Mice; Osteogenesis Imperfecta/pathology/radiography; Tomography, Optical/*methods; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/*methods

The development of hybrid optical tomography methods to improve imaging performance has been suggested over a decade ago and has been experimentally demonstrated in animals and humans. Here we examined in vivo performance of a camera-based hybrid fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) system for 360 degrees imaging combined with X-ray computed tomography (XCT). Offering an accurately co-registered, information-rich hybrid data set, FMT-XCT has new imaging possibilities compared to stand-alone FMT and XCT. We applied FMT-XCT to a subcutaneous 4T1 tumor mouse model, an Aga2 osteogenesis imperfecta model and a Kras lung cancer mouse model, using XCT information during FMT inversion. We validated in vivo imaging results against post-mortem planar fluorescence images of cryoslices and histology data. Besides offering concurrent anatomical and functional information, FMT-XCT resulted in the most accurate FMT performance to date. These findings indicate that addition of FMT optics into the XCT gantry may be a potent upgrade for small-animal XCT systems.

Journal Article

PC-3M-luc-C6, PC-3M-luc, IVIS, Bioware, Prostate cancer, Bioluminescence, Animals; Chromatography, Liquid; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Ephrins/genetics/*metabolism; Humans; Mass Spectrometry/*methods; Mice; Receptor, EphA1/genetics/*metabolism

The Eph receptor tyrosine kinase family includes many members, which are often expressed together in various combinations and can promiscuously interact with multiple ephrin ligands, generating intricate networks of intracellular signals that control physiological and pathological processes. Knowing the entire repertoire of Eph receptors and ephrins expressed in a biological sample is important when studying their biological roles. Moreover, given the correlation between Eph receptor/ephrin expression and cancer pathogenesis, their expression patterns could serve important diagnostic and prognostic purposes. However, profiling Eph receptor and ephrin expression has been challenging. Here we describe a novel and straightforward approach to catalog the Eph receptors present in cultured cells and tissues. By measuring the binding of ephrin Fc fusion proteins to Eph receptors in ELISA and pull-down assays, we determined that a mixture of four ephrins is suitable for isolating both EphA and EphB receptors in a single pull-down. We then used mass spectrometry to identify the Eph receptors present in the pull-downs and estimate their relative levels. This approach was validated in cultured human cancer cell lines, human tumor xenograft tissue grown in mice, and mouse brain tissue. The new mass spectrometry approach we have developed represents a useful tool for the identification of the spectrum of Eph receptors present in a biological sample and could also be extended to profiling ephrin expression.

Journal Article

BxPC-3, BxPC-3-luc2, IVIS, Achyranthes; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/pharmacology/*therapeutic use; Apoptosis/*drug effects; Caspase 3/genetics/metabolism; Gene Expression/drug effects; Humans; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Medicine, Ayurvedic; Mice; Mice, Nude; Pancreatic Neoplasms/*drug therapy/genetics/metabolism; Phosphorylation; *Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts/pharmacology/*therapeutic use; Plant Leaves; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism; RNA, Messenger/metabolism; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Achyranthes aspera (Family Amaranthacea) is used for cancer therapy by ayurvedic medical practitioners in India. However, due to the non formal nature of its use, there are no systematic studies validating its medicinal properties. Thus, it's utility as an anti cancer agent remains anecdotal. Earlier, we demonstrated A. aspera to exhibit time and dose-dependent preferential cytotoxicity to cultured human pancreatic cancer cells. In this report we validate in vivo anti tumor properties of A. aspera. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The in vivo anti tumor activity of leaf extract (LE) was tested by intraperitoneal (IP) injections into athymic mice harboring human pancreatic tumor subcutaneous xenograft. Toxicity was monitored by recording changes in behavioral, histological, hematological and body weight parameters. RESULTS: Dosing LE to athymic mice by I.P. injection for 32 days showed no adverse reactions in treated mice. Compared to the control set, IP administration of LE to tumor bearing mice significantly reduced both tumor weight and volume. Gene expression analysis using Real time PCR methods revealed that LE significantly induced caspase-3 mRNA (p<0.001) and suppressed expression of the pro survival kinase Akt-1 (p<0.05). TUNEL assay and immunohistochemistry confirmed apoptosis induction by activation of caspase-3 and inhibiting Akt phosphorylation in treated sets. These results are in agreement with RT PCR data. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these data suggest A. aspera to have potent anti cancer property.

Journal Article

IVIS, B16-F10-luc-G5, B16F10-luc-G5, B16-F10-luc, B16F10-luc, 14-3-3 Proteins/*genetics; Animals; Anticoagulants/pharmacology/*therapeutic use; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology/*therapeutic use; Apoptosis/drug effects; Cadherins/genetics; Cell Cycle/drug effects; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation/*drug effects; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects; Heparin/pharmacology/*therapeutic use; Humans; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; Neoplasm Metastasis/drug therapy/genetics; Neoplasms/*drug therapy/genetics; Prostate/drug effects/metabolism; Prostatic Neoplasms/drug therapy/genetics; Transforming Growth Factor beta/genetics; Vimentin/*genetics

AIM: To investigate the inhibitory effects of heparin on PC-3M cells proliferation in vitro and B16-F10-luc-G5 cells metastasis in Balb/c nude mice and identify the protein expression patterns to elucidate the action mechanism of heparin. METHODS: Human prostate cancer PC-3M cells were incubated with heparin 0.5 to 125 mug/mL for 24 h. The proliferation of PC-3M cells was assessed by MTS assay. BrdU incoporation and Ki67 expression were detected using a high content screening (HCS) assay. The cell cycle and apoptosis of PC-3M cells were tested by flow cytometry. B16-F10-luc-G5 cardinoma cells were injected into the lateral tail vein of 6-week old male Balb/c nude mice and heparin 30 mg/kg was administered iv 30 min before and 24 h after injection. The metasis of B16-F10-luc-G5 cells was detected by bioluminescence assay. Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and hemorheological parameters were measured on d 14 after injection of B16-F10-luc-G5 carcinoma cells in Balb/c mice. The global protein changes in PC-3M cells and frozen lung tissues from mice burdened with B16-F10-luc-G5 cells were determined by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and image analysis. The protein expression of vimentin and 14-3-3 zeta/delta was measured by Western blot. The mRNA transcription of vimentin, transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, E-cadherin, and alpha(v)-integrin was measured by RT-PCR. RESULTS: Heparin 25 and 125 mug/mL significantly inhibited the proliferation, arrested the cells in G(1) phase, and suppressed BrdU incorporation and Ki67 expression in PC-3M cells compared with the model group. But it had no significant effect on apoptosis of PC-3M cells. Heparin 30 mg/kg markedly inhibits the metastasis of B16-F10-luc-G5 cells on day 8. Additionally, heparin administration maintained relatively normal red blood hematocrit but had no influence on APTT in nude mice burdened with B16-F10-luc-G5 cells. Thirty of down-regulated protein spots were identified after heparin treatment, many of which are related to tumor development, extracellular signaling, energy metabolism, and cellular proliferation. Vimentin and 14-3-3 zeta/delta were identified in common in PC-3M cells and the lungs of mice bearing B16-F10-luc-G5 carcinoma cells. Heparin 25 and 125 mug/mL decreased the protein expression of vimentin and 14-3-3 zeta/delta and the mRNA expression of alpha(v)-integrin. Heparin 125 mug/mL decreased vimentin and E-cadherin mRNA transcription while increased TGF-beta mRNA transcription in the PC-3M cells, but the differences were not significant. Transfection of vimentin-targeted siRNA for 48 h significantly decreased the BrdU incoporation and Ki67 expression in PC-3M cells. CONCLUSION: Heparin inhibited PC-3M cell proliferation in vitro and B16-F10-luc-G5 cells metastasis in nude mice by inhibition of vimentin, 14-3-3 zeta/delta, and alpha(v)-integrin expression.

Journal Article

AngioSense, Animals; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use; Diagnostic Imaging/*methods; Female; Mammary Neoplasms, Animal/metabolism/pathology; Mice; Mice, Nude; Neoplasm Transplantation; Neovascularization, Pathologic/drug therapy/*pathology

In vivo angiogenesis assays provide more physiologically relevant information about tumor vascularization than in vitro studies because they take the complex interactions among cancer cells, endothelial cells, mural cells, and tumor stroma into consideration. Traditional microscopic assessment of vascular density conducted by immunostaining of tissue sections or by lectin angiogram visualization of tumor vessels is invasive and requires the sacrifice of tumor-bearing animals. Therefore, it prohibits longitudinal time-course observation in a single animal and requires a large number of animals at each time point to derive statistically-meaningful observations. Additionally, heterogenous behavior among different tumors will inevitably introduce individual biological variance that may obscure reliable interpretation of the results. While various artificial in vivo angiogenesis assays, such as the Matrigel implant assay, chick chorioallatoic membrane assay, and dorsal skin fold chamber assay have been developed and employed to more directly observe the progression of physiological angiogenesis, they can not appropriately assess tumor angiogenic progression or tumor vascular regression in response to therapeutic intervention. Here, we describe a noninvasive method and a detailed protocol that we have developed and optimized using the Olympus OV-100 in vivo imaging system for real-time high-resolution visualization and assessment of tumor angiogenesis and vascular response to anticancer therapies in live animals. We show that using this approach, tumor vessels can be monitored longitudinally through the whole vasculogenesis and angiogenesis process in the same mouse. Further, morphologic changes of the same vessel prior to and after drug treatments can be captured with microscopic high resolution. Moreover, the multichannel co-imaging capability of the OV-100 allows us to analyze and compare tumor vessel permeability before and after antiangiogenesis therapy by employing a near-infrared blood pool reagent, or by visualizing improved cytotoxic drug delivery upon tumor vessel normalization by using a fluorophore tagged drug. This noninvasive method can be readily applied to orthotopically transplanted breast cancer models as well as to subcutaneously-transplanted tumor models.