Metastatic capacity of Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines in nude mice

Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cell lines estimated in a previous study as having a high, low and no tumourigenicity (7) were intravenously (i.v.) injected into preirradiated (480 rad) nude mice. BL cell lines with a high tumourigenic potential produced metastatic tumours in the brain, spinal cord, bone marrow, stomach and kidney, but did not disseminate into the lung, liver, ovary and spleen. The survival time of the tumour bearing animals ranged from 2 to 10 weeks. The majority of mice i.v. injected with highly tumourigenic BL cell lines showed paresis or paralysis of the hind legs. This was associated with the presence of neoplastic nodules either in the brain and/or in the spinal cord. In animals with metastasis to the stomach and kidney progressive cachexia was observed. The described experimental model of metastatic BL tumours in nude mice can effectively be used for the in vivo study of new therapeutic molecules such as monoclonal antibodies coupled or not to substances, toxic to tumour cells. This model can also be useful for the identification and analysis of homing properties of BL cells and their implication in BL pathogenesis.