mechanism of liver metastasis focused on the interaction between tumor cells and Kupffer cells

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25462078
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Digestive surgery
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: Kondo Tadashi 筑波大学, 医学医療系, 教授 (00375495)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): FUKUNAGA Kiyoshi 筑波大学, 医学医療系, 講師 (20361339) ; TAMURA Takafumi 筑波大学, 医学医療系, 講師 (20633192)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): OHKOHCHI Nobuhiro 筑波大学, 医学医療系, 教授 (40213673)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 肝転移 / クッパー細胞 / 肝微小循環 / 大腸癌

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, to clarify the role of Kupffer cells (KCs) in the liver metastasis, we used intravital microscopy (IVM) to analyze the sinusoidal dynamics of both KCs and TCs in colon cancer metastasis to the liver. IVM showed that TCs adhered to KCs from the early time after TC injection. The KCs phagocytosed the TCs, which adhered with the KCs. In addition, we eliminated KCs at different time points before or after injection of tumor cells (TCs). The role of KCs was suppressive especially in the early stage of liver metastasis. It is suggested that KC phagocytosis of TCs in the early stage of liver metastasis strongly suppressed the formation of the liver metastatic nodules thereafter.

Free Research Field

医歯薬学