Objective: To establish a rat model bearing brain glioma and investigate the optimal conditions for its experimental application.
Methods: C6 cells were implanted into the unilateral brain hemisphere of 20 Wistar rats. The growth behaviors of the brain tumor and behavioral changes of the rats were observed at different time points after the implantation.
Results: On day 3 after the implantation, only a slight increase of signal intensity was observed on T2-weighted images. By day 5, the tumor became visible in 15/18 of the rats in at least two sections. By day 11, 16/18 of the rats showed space-occupying effect in the brain, and by day 14, the tumor occupied over 1/2 of the hemisphere in 14/18 of the rats. By day 20, 14/18 of the rats showed a tumor mass occupying over 2/3 of the hemisphere, and some tumor cells had migrated into the contralateral hemisphere.
Conclusion: In this model of brain glioma, the optimal time widow for experiment is between 14 and 18 days after the cell implantation. The cell density and viability for implantation and the site of implantation may also affect the experimental time widow.