【Animal Modeling】-Establishment of human hepatoma cell orthotopic xenograft model in mice and a comparative study of its characteristics

  OBJECTIVE: To select 3 strains of human hepatoma cells and inoculate them in the liver tissue of 4 different immunodeficient mice to establish and compare the orthotopic transplantation tumor models of human hepatoma cells.

  Methods: Human HepG2, HUH-7 and QGY-7703 cell suspensions were inoculated into the liver tissue of mice with different immunodeficiencies (BALB/c nude mice, NODSCID mice, NOG mice and NPG mice). Finally, the death time, mortality rate, and liver weight of the model mice were counted, and the characteristics of different immunodeficiency mouse models of liver cancer were analyzed and compared by B-ultrasound and histological examination.

  Results: B-ultrasound and gross anatomy observation showed that tumor nodules were formed in the liver tissue of mice in each experimental group; all animals in each group inoculated with HepG2 cell suspension died around the 20th day of the experiment, and the survival time of NOG and NPG mice Significantly lower than that of BALB/c nude mice and NODSCID mice (P<0.001); the animals of each experimental group inoculated with HUH-7 and QGY-7703 were dissected on the 92nd and 104th days of the experiment, and it was found that the NOG and NPG models were smaller than those in the experimental groups. The liver volume of the mice increased significantly and formed huge tumor masses, while the BALB/c nude mice and NODSCID mice only had small tumor nodules in the liver tissue; liver weights of NOG and NPG mice inoculated with HUH-7 and QGY7703 It was significantly higher than that in BALB/c nude mice and NODSCID mice (P<0.05); histological examination showed tumor cell growth with extensive necrosis in the liver tissue of each group, and tumor cell metastasis occurred in the lung tissue of some animals.

  CONCLUSION: Compared with BALB/c nude mice and NODSCID mice, hepatoma cells grow more rapidly in the liver tissue of NOG and NPG mice, and ultimately manifest as shorter survival time, larger liver volume and increased weight. NOG and NPG mice can The malignant proliferation of human hepatoma cells can be completed in a relatively short time, and the model research period is shortened. Therefore, orthotopic transplantation of human hepatocytes in NOG and NPG mice is an ideal model for the development of anti-hepatoma drugs.