Innovative Bioluminometric Quantification of Cancer Cell Load in Target Organs: Implications for Studying Anticancer Drugs, Including ROS Enhancers

Authors

  • Hong Zhu School of Osteopathic Medicine, Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC 27506, USA
  • Megan E. Kauffman School of Osteopathic Medicine, Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC 27506, USA
  • Jason Z. Li College of Arts and Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
  • Soumyadeep Sarkar College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC 27506, USA
  • Michael A. Trush Department of Environmental Health Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
  • Zhenquan Jia College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC 27506, USA; Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC 27412, USA
  • Y. Robert Li School of Osteopathic Medicine, Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC 27506, USA; College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC 27506, USA; Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC 27412, USA; Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA

Keywords:

B16-F10 melanoma cells, Bioluminometry, Luciferase, Lung metastasis

Abstract

Animal models are essential for developing effective drugs for treating human cancer. Examination of the formation of lung surface foci of B16-F10 melanoma cells is a widely used animal model for studying cancer metastasis and drug intervention. This model, however, suffers from several drawbacks, including its non-quantitative nature and inability to yield information on cancer cell load inside the target organ. Here we report the development of a highly sensitive, bioluminescence-based method for quantifying melanoma cell load in mouse lungs following intravenous injection of luciferase-expressing B16-F10 melanoma cells. This method could readily detect as few as 1–10 cells in the samples and enable quantification of cancer cell load before the formation of surface foci in mouse lungs following metastasis of intravenously inoculated B16-F10 melanoma cells. This innovative bioluminometry-based method has important implications for studying anticancer drugs, including naturally occurring redox-active quinones that generate reactive oxygen species to kill cancer cells.

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Published

2016-03-01

How to Cite

Zhu, H., Kauffman, M. E., Li, J. Z., Sarkar, S., Trush, M. A., Jia, Z., & Li, Y. R. (2016). Innovative Bioluminometric Quantification of Cancer Cell Load in Target Organs: Implications for Studying Anticancer Drugs, Including ROS Enhancers. Reactive Oxygen Species, 1(2), 157–164. Retrieved from https://rosj.org/index.php/ros/article/view/27

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 2 (2016)

Section

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

License

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