The Correlation between Targeted Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Imaging and Tumor Neovascularization of Ovarian Cancer Xenografts in Nude Mice.

Rong Hu,Xiaoling Su,Qianqian Zeng,Hong Xiang,Wenxia Feng

doi:10.1155/2021/5553649

Abstract

In order to explore the correlation between targeted contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging and tumor neovascularization of ovarian cancer xenografts in nude mice, a total of 49 nude mice were selected and randomly divided into 1-week group, 2-week group, 3-week group, 4-week group, 5-week group, 6-week group, and 7-week group according to their ovarian cancer xenografts' growth time, with 7 ovarian cancer xenografts in each group. After preparing antibody-carrying targeted contrast agent, each group of xenografts performed normal and targeted contrast ultrasound examinations to obtain peak intensity, time to peak, and other imaging parameters; then, those ovarian cancer xenografts were sacrificed for pathological analysis: the neovascular density and antibody expression of the cancer xenografts at different stages were observed and counted, and the correlation between targeted contrast-enhanced ultrasound parameters and tumor neovascular densities of the ovarian cancer xenografts was analyzed. The results show that the peak intensities of targeted contrast ultrasound imaging are greater than that of ordinary ultrasound imaging in the 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-week groups with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05); the time to peak of targeted contrast ultrasound imaging is shorter than that of ordinary ultrasound imaging in the 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-week groups with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05); there is a positive correlation between the peak intensities of targeted contrast ultrasound imaging and tumor neovascular densities of the ovarian cancer xenografts in the 2-, 3-, and 4-week group (r2 = 0.645, r3 = 0.668, and r4 = 0.693, P < 0.05); there is a negative correlation between the time to peak of targeted contrast ultrasound imaging and tumor neovascular densities of the ovarian cancer xenografts in the 2-, 3-, and 4-week groups (r2 = −0.669, r3 = −0.692, and r4 = −0.704, P < 0.05). Therefore, the targeted contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging parameters have a certain correlation with tumor neovascular density of ovarian cancer xenografts in nude mice and this correlation is more significant in the early stage of ovarian cancer; hence, targeted contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging may provide a new method, new idea, and new basis for the diagnosis of early ovarian cancer.

Highlights

Ovarian cancer has become one of the gynecological malignancies with a high fatality rate due to its insidious incidence, easy invasion, and metastasis, and its incidence is getting younger and younger; early diagnosis is the key to reducing the fatality rate and is an urgent problem to be solved [1]. e growth, metastasis, and malignancy of ovarian cancer are related to angiogenic mimicry, which is a tumor blood supply pattern that has been formed before the appearance of neovascular structure in solid tumors
In order to explore the correlation between targeted contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging and tumor neovascularization of ovarian cancer xenografts in nude mice, a total of 49 nude mice were selected and randomly divided into 1-week group, 2-week group, 3-week group, 4-week group, 5-week group, 6-week group, and 7-week group according to their ovarian cancer xenografts’ growth time, with 7 ovarian cancer xenografts in each group
Compared with the nonspecificity and nonselectivity of ordinary ultrasound contrast agents, targeted contrast ultrasound agents carry antibodies or corresponding receptors to bind to recognizable targets, and the biological binding is tight and firm, making targeted ultrasound. e contrast agent can stay in the blood pool for a longer time and with a relatively stable and higher concentration, so that the target disease area can be identified

Summary

Introduction

Ovarian cancer has become one of the gynecological malignancies with a high fatality rate due to its insidious incidence, easy invasion, and metastasis, and its incidence is getting younger and younger; early diagnosis is the key to reducing the fatality rate and is an urgent problem to be solved [1]. e growth, metastasis, and malignancy of ovarian cancer are related to angiogenic mimicry, which is a tumor blood supply pattern that has been formed before the appearance of neovascular structure in solid tumors. If the tumor neovascular structure in ovarian cancer can be detected, the purpose of early diagnosis can be achieved and antibody is an important member of matrix enzyme and plays an important role in tumor growth and metastasis [2]. Targeted contrast-enhanced ultrasound technology is currently a cutting-edge topic worldwide, early diagnosis is even more important, and antibody prevents cancer cells from spreading further by decomposing various influencing factors in the extracellular matrix and plays a key role in tumor invasion and metastasis [8]. E detailed chapters are arranged as follows: Section 2 presents research data and methods; Section 3 performs result analysis; Section 4 explores the correlation between targeted contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging and tumor neovascularization of ovarian cancer xenografts in nude mice; Section 5 present the discussion; Section 6 presents the conclusion After preparing antibody-carrying targeted contrast agent, each group of xenografts performed normal and targeted contrast ultrasound examinations to obtain peak intensity, time to peak, and other imaging parameters; those ovarian cancer xenografts were sacrificed for pathological analysis: the neovascular density and antibody expression of the cancer xenografts at different stages were observed and counted, and the correlation between targeted contrastenhanced ultrasound parameters and tumor neovascular densities of the ovarian cancer xenografts was analyzed. e results of this paper provide a reference for further researches on the correlation between targeted contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging and tumor neovascularization of ovarian cancer xenografts in nude mice. e detailed chapters are arranged as follows: Section 2 presents research data and methods; Section 3 performs result analysis; Section 4 explores the correlation between targeted contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging and tumor neovascularization of ovarian cancer xenografts in nude mice; Section 5 present the discussion; Section 6 presents the conclusion

Materials and Methods

Result

Discussions

Findings

Conclusions