Abstract
Abstract BACKGROUND Childhood cancer-related pain and its treatment lack sufficient clinical attention due to limited understanding of the underlying mechanisms. While chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathic pain (CIPN) mechanisms in adults have been extensively studied, those in early life remain unexplored. In the CIPN literature there is a growing body of evidence for tumour derived factors altering pain processing. Our study aims to understand how tumour derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) interact with the developing nervous system and impact pain processing in childhood brain tumour survivors. METHODS We determined dose-response curves and IC50 values for several medulloblastoma (MB) cell lines using standard-of-care chemotherapy drugs: vincristine, etoposide, cisplatin, and lomustine. EVs were isolated via size exclusion chromatography and characterised through western blotting, flow cytometry and electron microscopy. We quantified the effects of chemotherapy on EV release using ZetaView analysis. We then tested whether EVs from relevant MB cell lines could influence axon development in primary mouse embryonic day 16.5 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in vitro after pre-treatment with chemotherapy-treated EVs. RESULTS EVs from chemotherapy-treated and untreated cells exhibited similar size and shape. However, a combination of vincristine, etoposide, and cisplatin at low concentrations significantly increased EV secretion by MB cell lines. Moreover, 24-hours following treatment with chemotherapeutic exposed EVs there was complete cell death of embryonic DRG neurons compared to the PBS or control EV treated neurons. CONCLUSION Standard chemotherapy drugs substantially enhanced EV release from MB cells, and co-culture of embryonic DRG neurons with chemotherapy exposed EVs resulted in neuronal death. Our next step is to investigate whether administering these selected EVs in healthy animals alters pain responses and pain maturation. We also aim to study the biodistribution of these EVs within the nervous system and body, after infusion into the cerebrospinal fluid as well as how EV cargo is altered by chemotherapeutics.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
