OBJECTIVETo establish a novel nude mice model which can be visualized in real time and detected in a continuous and dynamic way for the development and metastasis of adenoid cystic carcinoma.

METHODSHuman adenoid cystic carcinoma cells, ACCM cell line, were infected with retroviral vector of pLEGFP-N1 and then screened for a single colony of ACCM-GFP cells. Cell proliferation and morphological analysis were conducted for ACCM and ACCM-GFP cells. Nude mice lingual carcinoma model was set up with ACCM-GFP cells injection and real time observation with fluorescence imaging on ACCM-GFP tumors was performed subsequently. Histological assay was analyzed for ACCM and ACCM-GFP tumors as well.

RESULTSACCM-GFP cells were able to express GFP stably in the long term. ACCM and ACCM-GFP cells showed no significant difference in cell proliferation and morphology, and no significant difference of histological characteristics in vivo could be found between ACCM and ACCM-GFP tumors. Tumor development could be monitored in real time with fluorescence imaging system in vivo.

CONCLUSIONGFP-expressing ACCM tumor model can be applied to detect and observe its development in the long term in a noninvasive, real time and dynamic way. It is also a kind of ideal in vivo mouse model for adenoid cystic carcinoma research.