Real-Time In Vivo Confocal Fluorescence Imaging of Prostate Cancer Bone-Marrow Micrometastasis Development at the Cellular Level in Nude Mice

In the present report, we demonstrate in vivo fluorescence imaging of bone-marrow micrometastasis of prostate cancer at the cellular level in nude mice. PC-3 human prostate cancer cells labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) or red fluorescent protein (RFP) were injected into the left ventricle or intratibial bone marrow of nude mice.

PC-3-GFP, as well as selected high metastatic variants of PC-3-GFP, -BM6 PC-3-GFP or PC-3-RFP were visualized by real-time fluorescence imaging, trafficking and growing in the bone marrow. Formation of bone marrow micrometastasis could be imaged at the single-cell level in live mice, using confocal microscopy. The ability to track bone marrow micrometastasis in real time at the cellular level provides a visual target for evaluating new therapeutics for this recalcitrant disease. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Journal of cellular biochemistry. 2016 Mar 18 [Epub ahead of print]

Shinji Miwa, Makoto Toneri, Kentaro Igarashi, Shuya Yano, Hiroaki Kimura, Katsuhiro Hayashi, Norio Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Tsuchiya, Robert M Hoffman

AntiCancer, Inc., San Diego, California., AntiCancer, Inc., San Diego, California., AntiCancer, Inc., San Diego, California., AntiCancer, Inc., San Diego, California., Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan., Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan., Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan., Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan., AntiCancer, Inc., San Diego, California.