Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2018. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Dec 15, 2018; 10(12): 476-486
Published online Dec 15, 2018. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v10.i12.476
Histological analysis of human pancreatic carcinoma following irreversible electroporation in a nude mouse model
Jun-Jun Su, Kai Xu, Peng-Fei Wang, Hao-Yun Zhang, Yong-Liang Chen
Jun-Jun Su, Kai Xu, Peng-Fei Wang, Hao-Yun Zhang, Yong-Liang Chen, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China
Jun-Jun Su, Division of Gastroenterological Surgery, Department of Surgery, Shanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, Taiyuan 030012, Shanxi Province, China
Author contributions: All authors helped perform the study; Su JJ, Xu K and Zhang HY analyzed and interpreted the data; Su JJ wrote the manuscript; all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, China.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflicts of interest related to this article.
Data sharing statement: Technical appendix, statistical code, and dataset are available from the corresponding author at chenyongl301@163.com. All participants provided informed consent for data sharing.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author to: Yong-Liang Chen, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing 100853, China. chenyongl301@163.com
Telephone: +86-10-66875531
Received: September 14, 2018
Peer-review started: September 14, 2018
First decision: October 3, 2018
Revised: October 15, 2018
Accepted: November 23, 2018
Article in press: November 24, 2018
Published online: December 15, 2018
Processing time: 91 Days and 9.7 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a medical technique that utilizes high voltage pulses to create permanent nanopores in the cell membrane, which in turn induces apoptosis of the targeted cells. Although there are benefits of IRE, many adverse events should be taken into consideration before its use. We aimed to assess the efficacy of IRE ablation in nude mouse models providing an experimental basis for the clinical application of IRE treatment.

Research motivation

Animal models of pancreatic cancer were successfully established and were successfully treated by IRE treatment. Tumor cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by different methods, which proved that this treatment was effective.

Research objectives

The main objectives aimed to determine changes in the morphology and function of pancreatic cancer cells after IRE treatment providing an experimental basis for the clinical application of IRE treatment.

Research methods

Animal models of pancreatic cancer were successfully treated by IRE treatment. Histological assessment of the affected tissue was performed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Quantification of cell proliferation and apoptosis was performed by evaluating Ki67 and caspase-3 levels, respectively. Flow cytometry was used to assess cell apoptosis. Ultrasound imaging was carried out to evaluate IRE treatment results. Pathological correlation studies showed IRE is effective for the targeted ablation of pancreatic tumors in an orthotopic mouse model. Ultrasound imaging was repeatedly carried out to evaluate IRE treatment results.

Research results

This study systematically assessed the efficacy of IRE ablation and demonstrated that the main advantage of IRE is in the conservation of blood vessel and bowel wall integrity. Clinical data of patients after the application of IRE treatment is needed to prove that IRE treatment is effective in treating patients with pancreatic cancer.

Research conclusions

IRE ablation is safe and effective for treatment of pancreatic cancer in a mouse model. The implication of this study for future clinical practice is that advanced pancreatic cancer patients can use IRE ablation as an effective treatment.

Research perspectives

The future direction of research is the extensive safety application of IRE ablation in patients. The best method for future research is to study the practical application of IRE ablation in patients.