JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments
Cancer Research
0 views • 5:15 min • April 30th, 2023
The liver is a secondary metastatic site for most cancers. To study metastasis, we can inject cancer cells into the portal vein, which carries blood from other parts of the body to the liver.
Start by placing an anesthetized mouse in a supine position. Sterilize the bare abdominal area using chlorhexidine and alcohol. Using microscissors, make an incision between ribs and the fourth mammary gland on the animal's left side without damaging internal organs.
Place a gauze pad soaked in sterile saline near the incision. Gently pull the intestine out using a sterile cotton swab to reveal the portal vein, and place it on the gauze. Cover the organs with the gauze pad to prevent drying. Insert the syringe needle containing fluorescently labeled cancer cells into the portal vein and slowly inject the cells. Wait for a few seconds to prevent the backflow of cells and carefully remove the needle.
After injection, cancer cells usually travel in the sinusoid and invade into the hepatocytes near the portal triad to metastasize. Place organs back into the abdominal cavity and suture the incision. In the example protocol, we will perform portal vein injection to study breast cancer metastasis to
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