The Effects of IFN-γ and IL-4 Expression on PCNA Expression in Transplanted Bone Tumors

Abstract

Objective: The rabbit VX2 bone tumor model is an ideal experimental animal model for studying malignant bone tumors, but few studies on cytokines and tumor proliferation. This paper is aimed to study the effect of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) on the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in tumor tissue. Methods: The experiment included 30 Japanese white rabbits divided into an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15) according to the random number method. Peripheral blood and tumor tissue were collected at 1 and 2 weeks after tumor implantation. We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect the expression levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 in peripheral blood and PCNA in tumor tissue. After the rabbits were euthanasia, the tissues were taken for pathological examination. Results: After tumor implantation, the expression level of IFN-γ in the experimental group in the 2nd week was significantly lower than that in the 1st week and 2nd week in the control group (p-value<0.005). In contrast, the expression level of IL-4 in the experimental group in the 2nd week was significantly higher than that in the 1st week and 2nd week in the control group (p-value<0.005). The expression level of PCNA in the experimental group in the 2nd week was significantly higher than that in the 1st week (P<0.005), and the PCNA expression in the 1st and 2nd week in the experimental group was higher than that in the 1st and 2nd week in the control group (p-value<0.005). In the 1st and 2nd week of tumor implantation, the correlation between IFN-γ and PCNA was negatively correlated(r=－0.566, p-value=0.028; r=－0.604, p-value=0.017), while the correlation between IL-4 and PCNA was positively correlated(r=0.583, p-value=0.023; r=0.884, p-value<0.005). Conclusion: In the VX2 bone tumor model of rabbit, with the extension of time after tumor implantation, there was a negative correlation between IFN-γ and PCNA and a positive correlation between IL-4 and PCNA.