Effect of morphine on growth of subcutaneous tumor of human gastric cancer cells in nude mice / 中华麻醉学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the effect of morphine on the growth of subcutaneous tumor of human gastric cancer cells in nude mice.Methods Thirty SPF male BALB/C nude mice,aged 4-5 weeks,weighing 15-20 g,in which the model of subcutaneous tumor of human gastric cancer cell line MGC-803 was established,were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=10 each) using a random number tablecontrol group (group C),normal saline group (group N),and morphine group (group M).The mice in group C received no treatment.Morphine 20 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected once a day for 14 consecutive days in group M,while normal saline 1.5 ml/kg was given instead of morphine in group N.The caliper was used to measure the tumor size every 2 days starting from 3 days after beginning of administration,and the relative tumor volume was calculated.The nude mice were sacrificed on 15th day,and the tumor tissues were obtained for determination of nuclear factor-kappa B activity and Bcl-2 and Bax protein and mRNA expression by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blot.Results Compared with group C,the relative tumor volume was significantly decreased,the activity of nuclear factor-kappa B in tumor tissues was significantly decreased,the expression of Bcl-2 protein and mRNA was significantly down-regulated,and the expression of Bax protein and mRNA was significantly up-regulated at each time point in group M (P＜0.05),and no significant change was found in each parameter mentioned above in group N (P＞0.05).Conclusion Morphine can inhibit the growth of subcutaneous tumor of human gastric cancer cells in nude mice,and the mechanism is associated with promotion of apoptosis in tumor cells.