[A study on tongue cancer cell labeling using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation in vitro]

The aim of this study is to evaluate of Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) label in the proliferation of the tongue cancer.

The authors used 80 micrograms/ml BrdU or iododeoxyuridine (IdU) to label three cases of fresh tissue of tongue cancer and four bottles of Tca8113 cells in logarithmic growth period in vitro. They were fixed and embedded in the routine procedure, and then in serial sections. These specimens were labeled with BrdU polyclonal antibody (1:200), and PCNA monoclonal antibody (1:100), stained using immunohistochemical ABC method. The authors observed the shapes and sizes of those positive cells, counted their label indexes (LI) of BrdU- or IdU-positive cells and PCNA- positive cells respectively. Four bottles of Tca8113 cells were cultured for 1-4 days. One bottle of the cells was every day used in the experimental study about comparing the cells labeled BrdU with those of the S phase of FCM in same cultural time.

The positive cells generally owned a larger round nucleus, sometimes in company with sister cells. There was no difference of positive cells in these two kinds of labeling methods between the incorporation of BrdU or IdU and the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (P > 0.05). The cells of S phase with FCM method were much more than that method with BrdU incorporation (P < 0.001).

The method of BrdU labeling could be used in tumor cellular proliferation studies.