Establishment of animal model of pleural malignant mesothelioma for mechanism analysis and development of treatment methods

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K06972
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 49030:Experimental pathology-related
• Research Institution: Kagawa University
• Principal Investigator: Yokohira Masanao 香川大学, 医学部, 教授 (70403780)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 中皮腫 / 針状粒子 / 胸膜

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this experiment is to increase the incidence of pleural malignant mesothelioma in wild animals. Experiment 1 aimed at increasing the incidence of pleural malignant mesothelioma in AJ female mice using TISMO, a needle-like particle, and Experiment 2 aimed at elucidating the effect of pirfenidone (PFD) on suppressing pleural thickening.
In Experiment 1, pulmonary pleural thickening was observed by TISMO, but no malignant lesions of mesothelial cells with obvious atypia could be confirmed. In Experiment 2, there was a tendency for the average area of pleural thickening per mouse to decrease with the administration of 144 ppm PFD. It was suggested that the antifibrotic effect of PFD may suppress the development of pleural thickening caused by needle-like particles.

Free Research Field

実験病理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

今回の実験１から、野生動物における胸膜悪性中皮腫の高率発症モデルの確率を得ることはできなかったが、低用量の針状粒子でも胸膜の肥厚をきたすことが明らかとなった。さらに、実験２の結果から、PFDの抗線維化作用が針状粒子による胸膜肥厚の進展を抑制する可能性が判明した。PFDはすでに臨床で用いられている間質性肺炎に対する内服治療薬であり、副作用も少ない。この治療薬が胸膜悪性中皮腫における腫瘍進展抑制に寄与する可能性が期待される。