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Updated: May 26, 2026
Injection of Syngeneic Murine Melanoma Cells to Determine Their Metastatic Potential in the Lungs
Published on: May 24, 2016
Ethanol inhibits B16-BL6 melanoma metastasis and cell phenotypes associated with metastasis
Kyoko Kushiro1, Nomelí P Núñez
1Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
Background:
Every year, approximately 68,000 new cases of malignant melanoma are diagnosed in the US. Ethanol consumption inhibits metastasis of melanoma in mice, but the mechanism is not well understood.
Materials And Methods:
C57BL/6J ob/+ mice, given either water or 20% ethanol, were injected intravenously with B16-BL6 melanoma cells to determine pulmonary metastasis. The effects of ethanol on cell phenotypes and markers of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition were determined in cell culture.
Results:
In mice, ethanol consumption inhibited experimental pulmonary metastasis. This inhibition was associated with decreased body weight, and levels of systemic leptin, and insulin. In cell culture, ethanol inhibited B16-BL6 cell motility, invasion, and anchorage-independent growth. Additionally, ethanol reduced Snai1 expression and increased E-cadherin expression. Lastly, ethanol increased the expression of Kiss1 metastasis-suppressor and the metastasis suppressor Nm23/nucleoside diphosphate kinase.
Conclusion:
In both animal and in cell culture conditions, ethanol inhibited the metastatic ability of B16-BL6 melanoma cells.
