Table 1.
Tree shrew cancer models.
| Cancer models | Methods | Characteristics | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) | Intermittent administration of 2 mg/kg of high purity aflatoxin B1 in the diet For 172 weeks | 9/12 of the tree shrews developed liver tumors between 74 and 172 weeks of the experiment. All nine tree shrews were well to poorly differentiated hepatocellular Carcinomas. | (20) |
| Tree shrews infected with human HBV are fed AFB1 (200–400 μg/kg body weight per day) for a total of 15-16 mg 6 days a week | Within 83–137 weeks, the incidence of HCC in tree shrews infected with HBV and exposed to AFB1 (52.94%) was significantly higher than that in groups infected with HBV (12.5%) or only exposed to AFB1 (11.11%). Thirteen cases of liver tumors were all hepatocellular carcinoma, including eight cases of trabecular type, three of adenoid type, and two of poorly-differentiated type. The tumors were single or multi-nodular. | (75) | |
| Mammary cancer | 30 tree shrews were administered intragastrically with 1 ml peanut oil containing 20 mg DMBA, once every 3 weeks for a total of 3 times. After 9 weeks, 15 of them were implanted with 150 mg MPA. | The combined administration of DMBA + MPA has a tumor formation rate of 50%, Immunohistochemistry: ER (+), PR (+), CK5/6 (+), Her-2 (–). PTEN and PIK3C genes are frequently mutated in this breast cancer model | (71) |
| 10 ul of lentivirus overexpressing the PyMT cancer gene was injected into the mammary ducts of the tree shrews. | The incubation period was 3 weeks, after 7 weeks all tree shrews developed mammary tumors, mainly papillary carcinomas. Immunohistochemistry: ER (+), PR (+), Her-2 (–). | (26) | |
| Lung cancer | DHPH was injected subcutaneously once a week at 250 mg/kg body weight for 80 weeks. | Up to 102 weeks 78% of female and 89% of male tree shrews were observed to have developed lung adenomas, with Clara cells being a major component of these tumors, and two of these were bronchoalveolar carcinomas. A further 9% of the tree shrews had squamous cell carcinoma of the skin and hepatocellular carcinoma. | (84) |
| Basal cell carcinoma | The lentivirus expressing the oncogene SmoA1 (5.6 × 105 TU) and the shp53 (2 × 105 TU) lentivirus were injected into the skin of the back and tail of the tree shrew, with a total volume of 10 μl. | The combined injection of SmoA1 and p53-shRNA virus group showed a BCC-like phenotype of 70% after 2 weeks, and the tumor formation rate reached 100% after 4 weeks. Ptch1 and Gli1 mRNA expressions were up-regulated. | (28) |
| Glioblastoma (GBM) | 4 μl lentiviruses (3 × 1011/ml titered by real-time PCR) expressing H-RAS and shp53 were injected into the hippocampus of the tree shrew. | DH1, TERT, EGFR, PTEN, ATRX and other key factors are expressed in gliomas as in human GBM, and EGFR is upregulated in tree shrew GBM. | (30) |
| Pancreatic cancer | Injection of 20 ul lentivirus expressing KRAS-shTp53-shCdkn2a/b into the pancreatic head of the tree shrew | The tumor formed after 3–7 weeks, which was a moderately differentiated ductal adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemistry: CK19 (+), Muc (+), MMP7 (+), Hes1 (+). | (29) |
TU: transducing units; (+): positive; (–): negative.