Color-coded Imaging of the Fate of Cancer-cell-derived Exosomes During Pancreatic Cancer Metastases in a Nude-mouse Model

Abstract

Background/aim: Tumor-derived exosomes play important roles in tumor metastases. In this report, we observed the fate of tumor-derived exosomes in pancreatic cancer metastatic nude-mouse models using color-coded imaging.

Materials and methods: Mia-PaCa-2 human pancreatic cancer cells expressing red fluorescent protein (RFP) were transduced by exosome-specific pCT-CD63-green fluorescent protein (GFP) and injected in the spleen of nude mice.

Results: Four weeks after injection of these cells into the spleen, liver metastases developed and tumor-derived exosomes were observed within the metastatic cancer cells and in Kupffer cells. Furthermore, tumor-derived exosomes diffused to bone marrow and lung cells, especially macrophages, without any metastases present.

Conclusion: In the present study, we visualized the distribution of cancer-derived exosomes for the first time at the cellular level, in a pancreatic-cancer metastatic model.

Keywords: Pancreatic cancer; color-coded imaging; exosomes; green fluorescent protein; macrophage; nude mice; red fluorescent protein; tumor-derived exosomes.