Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026
Intra-Cardiac Injection of Human Prostate Cancer Cells to Create a Bone Metastasis Xenograft Mouse Model
Published on: November 4, 2022
BM18: A novel androgen-dependent human prostate cancer xenograft model derived from a bone metastasis
Daniel R McCulloch1, Kenneth Opeskin, Erik W Thompson
1Bernard O'Brien Institute of Microsurgery, University of Melbourne, Fitzroy, Australia.
Background:
Androgen-dependent prostate cancer (PrCa) xenograft models are required to study PrCa biology in the clinically relevant in vivo environment.
Methods:
Human PrCa tissue from a femoral bone metastasis biopsy (BM18) was grown and passaged subcutaneously through male severe combined immune-deficient (SCID) mice. Human mitochondria (hMt), prostate specific antigen (PSA), androgen receptor (AR), cytokeratin-18 (CK-18), pan-cytokeratin, and high molecular weight-cytokeratin (HMW-CK) were assessed using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Surgical castration was performed to examine androgen dependence. Serum was collected pre- and post-castration for monitoring of PSA levels.
Results:
BM18 stained positively for hMt, PSA, AR, CK-18, pan keratin, and negatively for HMW-CK, consistent with the staining observed in the original patient material. Androgen-deprivation induced tumor regression in 10/10 castrated male SCID mice. Serum PSA levels positively correlated with BM18 tumor size.
Conclusions:
BM18 expresses PSA and AR, and rapidly regresses in response to androgen withdrawal. This provides a new clinically significant PrCa model for the study of androgen-dependent growth.
