Magnetic resonance imaging of melanoma metastases in a clinical relevant human melanoma xenograft scid mouse model.

This study aimed to analyse (i) the metastatic behaviour of human melanoma FEMX-1 cells in scid mice after surgical excision of the PT and (ii) to evaluate the feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the detection of melanoma metastases. Histology proved both high specificity (95%), and high sensitivity of MRI detection of melanoma metastasis. CEACAM1, L1, and HPA-binding site expression, all markers predicting metastasis in clinical studies, were preserved in the metastatic nodules.

The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib augments anti-proliferative effects of mistletoe lectin-I and the PPAR-gamma agonist rosiglitazone in human melanoma cells.

Background: The NFkappaB signalling pathway plays an important role in chemoresistance and decreased apoptosis. One indirect way to inhibit the NFkappaB pathway is to slow down the proteasomal degradation of its inhibitor IkappaB, thus preventing NFkappaB from translocation into the nucleus. Hence, the effect of the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (Velcade) on the cell proliferation of the MV3, FemX-1 and G361 human melanoma cell lines and its action in combination with the PPAR-gamma agonist rosiglitazone or the mistletoe lectin ML-I, both having anti-proliferative effects on melanoma cells in single agent use, was investigated.

Glycoconjugate profiling of primary melanoma and its sentinel node and distant metastases: implications for diagnosis and pathophysiology of metastases.

Aiming at more precise detection of melanoma cells in sentinel lymph nodes and better understanding of the mechanisms underlying metastatic spread, expression of L1, CEACAM1, and binding of the lectins HPA, ML-I and PNA, was assessed in benign nevi (n=12), primary melanomas (PTs: n=67), their corresponding sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs: n=40), and distant metastases (DMs: n=35). Sensitivity and specificity of CEACAM1 (95-97%; 66%) and L1 (90-93%; 100%) exceeded that of the standard markers MelanA, S100, and HMB45 in single marker use. Lectin binding was found in PTs and DMs (HPA: 69% and 77%; ML-I: 82% and 77%, respectively), but rarely in SLNMs (HPA: 20%, ML-I: 20%, PNA: 5%, respectively).

Anti-proliferative effect of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonists on human malignant melanoma cells in vitro.

Malignant melanoma has a poor reputation for early spread and no curative treatment is yet available. As peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) agonists (glitazones) have recently been shown to have growth-inhibiting effects on different cancer lineages, the aim of this study was to analyze the effects of four glitazones (rosiglitazone, ciglitazone, pioglitazone and troglitazone) on the growth of six human malignant melanoma cells in vitro. Proliferation of six human melanoma cell lines under glitazone treatment over a broad concentration range (0.

Influence of mistletoe lectins and cytokines induced by them on cell proliferation of human melanoma cells in vitro.

Although aqueous mistletoe extracts are widely used in complementary cancer therapy, the precise mode of action of their main therapeutic agents, the three mistletoe lectins (MLs), is poorly understood as they act both as cytotoxic agents and as immunomodulators due to their cytokine release by mononuclear cells. Thus, this study aims to investigate both the direct and the indirect effects of MLs on the growth of human melanoma cells in vitro. Proliferation of six human melanoma cell lines under ML treatment and additionally under the influence of cytokines induced by them (TNF-alpha, IL-1, IL-6) was assessed by means of the tetrazolium derived reduction (XTT) assay.

The developmentally regulated neural crest-associated glycotope HNK-1 predicts metastasis in cutaneous malignant melanoma.

Aberrant glycosylation is a common feature of metastatic sub-clones of malignant tumours and in uveal melanoma in particular, the HNK-1 glycotope has been positively correlated with poor prognosis. So far, no such correlation has been investigated in cutaneous melanoma. In order to do so, HNK-1 expression was evaluated immunohistochemically in 100 primary cutaneous melanomas and correlated with metastasis after up to 10-years' follow-up.

Overexpression of the cell adhesion molecule L1 is associated with metastasis in cutaneous malignant melanoma.

Modulation of cell adhesion molecule expression plays a key role in melanoma metastasis. In particular, the expression of the cell adhesion molecule L1 has been associated with the metastatic phenotype in a murine model of malignant melanoma. However, no such association between L1 expression and metastasis has been investigated in a clinical study.

CEACAM1 expression in cutaneous malignant melanoma predicts the development of metastatic disease.

Purpose: The cell adhesion molecule CEACAM1 is involved in intercellular adhesion and subsequent signal transduction events in a number of epithelia. CEACAM1 downregulation has been demonstrated in colorectal and prostate carcinomas. This study sought to analyze whether its expression in malignant melanoma is associated with metastasis.