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Splenectomy suppresses growth and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma through decreasing myeloid-derived suppressor cells in vivo

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Abstract

The function of the spleen in tumor development has been investigated for years. The relationship of the spleen with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a huge health burden worldwide, however, remains unknown. The present study aimed to examine the effect of splenectomy on the development of HCC and the possible mechanism. Mouse hepatic carcinoma lines H22 and Hepa1-6 as well as BALB/c and C57 mice were used to establish orthotopic and metastatic mouse models of liver cancer. Mice were divided into four groups, including control group, splenectomy control group (S group), tumor group (T group) and tumor plus splenectomy group (T+S group). Tumor growth, metastases and overall survival were assessed at determined time points. Meanwhile, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) were isolated from the peripheral blood (PB), the spleen and liver tumors, and then measured by flow cytometery. It was found that liver cancer led to splenomegaly, and increased the percentage of MDSCs in the PB and spleen in the mouse models. Splenectomy inhibited the growth and progression of liver cancer and prolonged the overall survival time of orthotopic and metastatic models, which was accompanied by decreased proportion of MDSCs in the PB and tumors of liver cancer-bearing mouse. It was suggested that splenectomy could be considered an adjuvant therapy to treat liver cancer.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hepatic Surgery Center, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China

    Xin Long  (龙 新), Jian Wang  (王 健), Jian-ping Zhao  (赵健萍), Hui-fang Liang  (梁慧芳), Peng Zhu  (朱 鹏), Qi Cheng  (程 琪), Yan-hui Wu  (吴延晦), Zhan-guo Zhang  (张占国), Bi-xiang Zhang  (张必翔) & Xiao-ping Chen  (陈孝平)

  2. Department of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China

    Qian Chen  (陈 倩)

Authors
  1. Xin Long  (龙 新)
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  2. Jian Wang  (王 健)
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  3. Jian-ping Zhao  (赵健萍)
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  4. Hui-fang Liang  (梁慧芳)
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  6. Qi Cheng  (程 琪)
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  7. Qian Chen  (陈 倩)
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  8. Yan-hui Wu  (吴延晦)
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  9. Zhan-guo Zhang  (张占国)
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  11. Xiao-ping Chen  (陈孝平)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bi-xiang Zhang  (张必翔).

Additional information

This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81001305, No. 81372495, No. 81202300, and No. 81372327).

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Long, X., Wang, J., Zhao, Jp. et al. Splenectomy suppresses growth and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma through decreasing myeloid-derived suppressor cells in vivo . J. Huazhong Univ. Sci. Technol. [Med. Sci.] 36, 667–676 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-016-1643-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-016-1643-2

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