Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026
In Vivo Model for Testing Effect of Hypoxia on Tumor Metastasis
Published on: December 9, 2016
In NSCLC, VEGF-A response to hypoxia may differ between squamous cell and adenocarcinoma histology
Marte Eilertsen1, Ingvild Pettersen, Sigve Andersen
1Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Tromso, Norway. marte.eilertsen@uit.no
Aim:
To investigate if hypoxia induces vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A and VEGF-C secretion in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and if the secretion is cell type-dependent.
Materials And Methods:
Adenocarcinoma (AC) (H522, PAC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (H520) cell lines were exposed to hypoxia and normoxia. Supernatants were analysed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Tissue microarrays, from 304 patients diagnosed with stage I-IIIA NSCLC, were immunohistochemically-stained and scored for VEGF-A and VEGF-C.
Results:
In vitro, VEGF-A expression in hypoxic AC cells was significantly higher than that in normoxic cells (H522: p=0.004, PAC; p=0.007). In contrast, hypoxia led to significantly reduced VEGF-A production in the SCC cell line compared to normoxic cells (p=0.005).
Conclusion:
In vitro, AC and SCC exhibit different VEGF-A responses to hypoxia. Hypoxia mediates a pro-angiogenic response in AC, but apparently not in SCC.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:53Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
01:24Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply
02:49Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...