PATHOLOGICAL STUDY ON THE MECHANISM OF TUMOURSELECTIVE CYTOCIDAL-ACTION OF TUMOUR NECROSIS FACTOR / 第二军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Using light microscope and electron microscope,we observed the morphological changes in the SMMC-7721 human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line after it was exposed to the rabbit tumor necrosis factor (TNF)and the cytocidal effect of TNF on the heterotransplanted human hepatocellular carcinoma (SMMC-7721 cell line).It was found that the changes occurred earlier in the cell membranes than in the nuclei during the course of TNF killing SMMC-7721 cell line and there was no special varieties around the necrotic area in the heterotransplanted human hepatocellular carcinoma in the nude mice as compared with that appearing in SMMC-7721 cell line,In addition, we detected the DNA contents of TNF treated SMMC-7721 cells and control ones, but there was no significant difference of the DNA contents between them.Ace of ding to the results of this study, we think that the mechanism by wluch TNF exerts its tumour-selective killing effect is probably as follows.TNF binds to a specific plasma membrane receptor and then disturbs synthesis or assembly of cell membrane components, leading the changes of cell structure(for example, swollen microvilli, a number of vesicles and small holes on the surface of tumor cells), and the lysis of tumor cells.