Use of Chicken Embryos as an Angiogenesis Model for Central Nervous System Malignant Tumor Research

To demonstrate the usability of chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) as an angiogenesis model for the development and treatment of malignant tumors of the central nervous system.

A fresh tumor tissue piece taken from Glioblastoma patients, a malignant tumor of the central nervous system, was transferred to the CAM of chicken embryos and left to incubate in the incubator and their development was monitored. After examining the results of the study macroscopically, CAM tissue samples were evaluated both histochemically and immunohistochemically in terms of angiogenic factors VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor), bFGF (basic Fibroblast Growth Factor) and PDGF (Platelet Derived Growth Factor).

According to histochemical findings obtained from our study when compared with control embryos, blood vessels, fibroblast count and inflammatory infiltration were observed more in the tumor transplanted groups, especially in the tumordeveloping CAM region. There was also intense pleomorphism and marked hypercellularity in the cells. In our immunohistochemical findings, it was determined that bFGF, PDGF, VEGF staining intensities were higher in tumor transplanted groups compared to control groups, and this elevation was more pronounced in the tumor-developing region.

As a result, it has been shown that the chicken embryo CAM model may be a suitable in vivo model for cancer angiogenesis studies. The protocol we created in this study will be a source for projects related to the use of therapeutic agents in cancer angiogenesis.