Arsenic trioxide treatment of rabbit liver VX-2 carcinoma via hepatic arterial cannulation-induced apoptosis and decreased levels of survivin in the tumor tissue

AIM To investigate the role of tumor apoptosis-inhibitory protein survivin in arsenic trioxide-induced apoptosis in VX-2 carcinoma in the rabbit liver by means of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. METHODS Sixteen rabbits with 32 implanted hepatic VX-2 tumors were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group received 2 mg of arsenic trioxide and 1 mL of ultra-fluid lipiodol co-injected via hepatic arterial cannulation and the control group received only 1 mL of lipiodol. Animals were sacrificed 3 weeks after trans-catheterial arterial chemoembolization. Tumor tissue and tumor-peripheral tissue were collected for analysis. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end-labeling staining was used to assess tumor cells apoptosis. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess the presence of survivin protein. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the expression of survivin gene. RESULTS The number of apoptotic cells significantly increased in the tumor tissue (5.20 ± 0.60%) compared to tumor-peripheral tissue (1.29 ± 0.42%) of the arsenic trioxide-treated group. Survivin expression levels in the tumor tissue were significantly reduced in arsenic trioxide-treated group (7.68 ± 0.65) compared to the control group (35.30 ± 4.63). CONCLUSION Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization with arsenic trioxide induced apoptosis of VX-2 carcinoma, in which tumor apoptosis-inhibitory protein survivin may have played a role.