Evaluation of the effects of hyaluronic acid-carboxymethyl cellulose barrier on ovarian tumor progression

PRESS RELEASE
Hyaluronic acid is a prognostic factor in ovarian cancers. It is also a component of Hyaluronic Acid-Carboxymethyl Cellulose (HA-CMC) barrier, an anti-adhesion membrane widely used during abdominal surgeries in particular for ovarian carcinosis.

70% of patients who undergo ovarian surgery will relapse due to the persistence of cancer cells. This study's objective was to determine the oncological risk from use of this material, in the presence of residual disease, despite the benefit gained by it decreasing post-surgical adhesions in order to provide an unambiguous assessment of its appropriateness for use in ovarian surgical management. 

Methods: We assessed the effects of HA-CMC barrier on the in vitro proliferation of human ovarian tumor cell lines (OVCAR-3, IGROV-1 and SKOV-3).

We next evaluated, in vivo in nude mice, the capacity of this biomaterial to regulate the tumor progression of subcutaneous and intraperitoneal models of ovarian tumor xenografts. 

Results: We showed that HA-CMC barrier does not increase in vitro proliferation of ovarian cancer cell lines compared to control. In vivo, HA-CMC barrier presence with subcutaneous xenografts induced neither an increase in tumor volume nor cell proliferation (Ki67 and mitotic index).

With the exception of an increased murine carcinosis score in peritoneum, the presence of HA-CMC barrier with intraperitoneal xenografts modified neither macro nor microscopic tumor growth. Finally, protein analysis of survival (Akt), proliferation (ERK) and adhesion (FAK) pathways highlighted no activation on the xenografts imputable to HA-CMC barrier. 

Conclusions: For the most part, our results support the lack of tumor progression activation due to HA-CMC barrier.

We conclude that the benefits gained from using HA-CMC barrier membrane during ovarian cancer surgeries seem to outweigh the potential oncological risks.

Author: Laetitia PicaudBenoît ThibaultEliane MeryMonia OualiAlejandra MartinezJean-Pierre DelordBettina CoudercGwenael Ferron
Credits/Source: Journal of Ovarian Research 2014, 7:40

http://7thspace.com/headlines/457665/evaluation_of_the_effects_of_hyaluronic_acid_carboxymethyl_cellulose_barrier_on_ovarian_tumor_progression.html

Mark Grinstaff ~ Boston University Ground Breakers ~ Wish to cure adhesions

Mark Grinstaff flips quickly through his lecture slides, some showing honeycomb-like molecular structures, others equations and tables describing the properties of various compounds. Welcome to biomaterials class, a two-hour-long sally into the scholarly mysteries of chemistry and biomedical engineering, but one that is brought back to earth in purposeful discussions about the real-world applications of the science displayed on the screen."

“If you could figure out how to prevent all adhesions after surgery, it would be great,” says Grinstaff, a College of Arts & Sciences professor of chemistry, a College of Engineering professor of biomedical engineering, and a member of the ENG Division of Materials Science and Engineering. “I’d love to figure out how to do it.”
Read the rest here: http://www.bu.edu/today/2014/grinstaff-group-from-grad-students-to-groundbreakers
Mark Grinstaff  ~ Boston University Ground Breakers ~ Wish to cure adhesions