Dynamic progression of an intraperitoneal xenograft model of human ovarian cancer and its potential for preclinical trials

This study was conducted to establish a feasible intraperitoneal xenograft model in nude mice which mimicked the dynamic progression of human ovarian cancer and to explore its potential for preclinical trials. A human ovarian tumor line SKOV3 was originally injected s.c. to develop tumors; then the tumors were harvested and minced into small particles for i.p. inoculation in three groups of nude mice which would be monitored consecutively. The intraperitoneal carcinomatosis and relevant organs were collected for histopathological dynamic comparison and CA125 immunohistochemical staining 7, 21 and 49 days after inoculation. An additional experiment with cisplatin sensitivity test was performed and tumor tissues were observed for apoptosis-Hoechst assay. The intraperitoneal carcinomatosis had a rapid progression which resulted in extensive dissemination on the peritoneal surfaces and invasion into abdominal lymph nodes, livers, pancreas and spleen. Tumor tissues revealed similar morphological features of primary tumor from which SKOV3 derived and part of in vivo tumor mass was positive for CA125. Cisplatin could significantly inhibit the intraperitoneal carcinomatosis growth. This model may provide a valuable platform to study the biological properties of ovarian cancer as well as to test new therapeutic strategies in preclinical trials.