Quantitative Analysis of Ultrasound Imaging in Retinoblastoma Mouse Model

Abstract

Introduction: Retinoblastoma is one of the highest rate of intraocular malignancy for children's eyes. But several available treatments (Chemotherapy, radiation, thermotherapy, cryotherapy, and laser, etc) are not working well and enucleation is widely used for many cases in the end. This study is to establish an orthotopic transplantation model injecting Y79 retinoblastoma cells into the mouse eye and time differentially identify the tumor formations, growths, and drug responses using three dimensional ultrasound imaging. Methods: First of all, the cultured Y79 retinoblastoma cells were injected into mouse eyes and the time differential quantitative analysis of tumors was performed through three dimensional ultrasound imaging. The appropriate concentration rate of anti-cancer drug (carboplatin) was calculated to identify the apoptotic cell death through MTT assay and western blotting analysis. Then, the drug was injected into the tumor models to observe the phenomena of tumors reduction through three dimensional ultrasound imaging. Results: The tumor formations and growths were observed time differentially through three dimensional ultrasound imaging. And the apoptotic cell death was identified by anti-cancer drug (carboplatin) indicating cleaved caspase 3 through MTT assay and it was also proven with statistically meaningfulness (p<0.05) through western blotting analysis. Accordingly, the drug treatment was effectively identified with the result of the tumors reduction through three dimensional ultrasound imaging. Conclusions: Two dimensional tumor formations and growths in retinoblastoma cells have been widely observed but the tumor volume measurement was not realistic due to its difficulty and inaccuracy. This study was time differentially identified the tumors formations and growth and each tumor volume were rather precisely measured using three dimensional ultrasound imaging. Observing well established orthotopic transplantation models (in vivo) which gave us the distinctive drug responsiveness using three dimensional ultrasound imaging is fairly effective screening anti-cancer drugs and ultimately contributes to develop a new drug in the future.