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Updated: Jun 15, 2026
03:32
A Pleural Effusion Model in Rats by Intratracheal Instillation of Polyacrylate/Nanosilica
Published on: April 12, 2019
Neurotrophin system activation in pleural effusions
Alberto Ricci1, Salvatore Mariotta, Elena Pompili
1Università La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. alberto.ricci@uniroma1.it
Growth Factors (Chur, Switzerland)
|March 11, 2010
Summary
Neurotrophins (NTs) are elevated in lung cancer effusions and influence cancer cell growth. Blocking NT receptors can reverse these effects, suggesting NTs as potential therapeutic targets.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Neurotrophins (NTs) are crucial for neuronal development and survival.
- Their role in cancer, particularly lung cancer, remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate NT expression in malignant pleural effusions.
- To determine the impact of NTs on lung cancer cell behavior in vitro and in vivo.
Main Methods:
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblotting were used to detect NTs and their receptors.
- In vitro proliferation and cell death assays were performed on cultured lung cancer cells.
- Tumorigenesis was assessed in immunodeficient mice following injection of cultured cancer cells.
Main Results:
- NTs (NGF, BDNF, NT-3) were significantly higher in malignant pleural effusions compared to non-malignant ones.
- Cultured lung cancer cells expressed NTs and their receptors.
- BDNF promoted proliferation, NT-3 inhibited growth, and NGF offered protection against cell death.
- Tumorigenesis in mice showed expression of NTs and their receptors.
Conclusions:
- NTs are present in lung cancer pleural effusions and influence cancer cell proliferation, survival, and growth.
- Targeting NT signaling pathways may offer a novel therapeutic strategy for lung cancer.
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