Steven F S, Hill R J
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Manchester, UK.
Br J Cancer. 1988 Nov;58(5):610-3. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1988.269.
Exposure to the fibrous mineral erionite is known to induce mesothelioma in man and laboratory animals. Previous studies demonstrated the presence of a trypsin-like protease associated with tumour cells. This protease could be demonstrated by the use of fluorescent probes which located cells possessing this enzyme. We have employed this fluorescent probe technique to follow the early events in the lungs of rats exposed to erionite. The evidence presented shows that the mesothelial cells initially lack this enzyme but the enzyme can be detected within hours of exposure of the rat to erionite. The number of mesothelial cells possessing the enzyme steadily increased after a single exposure to the mineral until the animal finally died with a massive pleural tumour. This is the first study of such fluorescent probes in the early stages of tumour induction.
已知接触纤维状矿物毛沸石会在人类和实验动物中诱发间皮瘤。先前的研究表明，肿瘤细胞中存在一种类似胰蛋白酶的蛋白酶。这种蛋白酶可以通过使用荧光探针来证明，该探针可定位具有这种酶的细胞。我们采用这种荧光探针技术来追踪暴露于毛沸石的大鼠肺部的早期事件。所提供的证据表明，间皮细胞最初缺乏这种酶，但在大鼠接触毛沸石数小时内就能检测到该酶。单次接触该矿物后，拥有这种酶的间皮细胞数量稳步增加，直到动物最终因巨大的胸膜肿瘤而死亡。这是首次在肿瘤诱发早期阶段对这类荧光探针进行的研究。
