Therapeutic Effects of Microbubbles Added to Combined High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound and Chemotherapy in a Pancreatic Cancer Xenograft Model.
10.3348/kjr.2016.17.5.779
- Author:
Mi Hye YU
1
;
Jae Young LEE
;
Hae Ri KIM
;
Bo Ram KIM
;
Eun Joo PARK
;
Hoe Suk KIM
;
Joon Koo HAN
;
Byung Ihn CHOI
Author Information
1. Department of Radiology, Konkuk University Medical Center, Seoul 05030, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Microbubbles;
High-intensity focused ultrasound;
Pancreatic cancer;
Gemcitabine;
Sonoporation;
Animal study
- MeSH:
Animals;
Apoptosis;
Drug Therapy*;
Heterografts*;
Humans;
Mice;
Mice, Nude;
Microbubbles*;
Pancreatic Neoplasms*;
Therapeutic Uses*;
Tumor Burden;
Ultrasonography*
- From:Korean Journal of Radiology
2016;17(5):779-788
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) combined with microbubbles enhances the therapeutic effects of chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A pancreatic cancer xenograft model was established using BALB/c nude mice and luciferase-expressing human pancreatic cancer cells. Mice were randomly assigned to five groups according to treatment: control (n = 10), gemcitabine alone (GEM; n = 12), HIFU with microbubbles (HIFU + MB, n = 11), combined HIFU and gemcitabine (HIGEM; n = 12), and HIGEM + MB (n = 13). After three weekly treatments, apoptosis rates were evaluated using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling assay in two mice per group. Tumor volume and bioluminescence were monitored using high-resolution 3D ultrasound imaging and in vivo bioluminescence imaging for eight weeks in the remaining mice. RESULTS: The HIGEM + MB group showed significantly higher apoptosis rates than the other groups (p < 0.05) and exhibited the slowest tumor growth. From week 5, the tumor-volume-ratio relative to the baseline tumor volume was significantly lower in the HIGEM + MB group than in the control, GEM, and HIFU + MB groups (p < 0.05). Despite visible distinction, the HIGEM and HIGEM + MB groups showed no significant differences. CONCLUSION: High-intensity focused ultrasound combined with microbubbles enhances the therapeutic effects of gemcitabine chemotherapy in a pancreatic cancer xenograft model.
