INTRODUCTION: stem cells may originate and perpetuate the tumor growth, but they are poorly known in gliomagenesis. Metallothioneins (MTs) are proteins involved in oncogenesis and immunopositivity, for MT may be used as a stem cell mutation marker. OBJECTIVE: to study the MT expression in the ENU experimental model and to establish an experimental model to track glioma stem cells in early oncogenesis. METHODS: Thirty-six male Wistar rats were divided into two groups; the experimental group was treated within 24 hours after birth (neonate rats) with a single dose of subcutaneously injected N-ethyl N-nitrosourea ENU (40 mg/kg body weight). The control animals were injected with the same volume of saline. These experimental animals were subdivided into three groups according to the euthanize time, as follows: the Group 1 (G1) was euthanized at the age of 30 days; the Group 2 (G2), at the age of 180 days and the Group 3 (G3) was euthanized soon after the appearing of signs of the existence of nervous system tumors, at an average age of 321 days. Immunohistochemical detection of MT protein in cold acetone-fixed paraffin embedded spine cord sections was performed by the streptavidin-avidin-biotin-immuno peroxidase complex method. RESULTS: by using the experimental model of gliomagenesis induced by the N-ethyl N-nitrosourea, it was possible to detect putative tumor stem cells in early oncogenesis, to analyze a field cancerization process and to observe a close morphological relationship between MT positive cells and blood vessels. CONCLUSIONS: this reproducible experimental model allows further studies on the origins, development and regulating factors involved in gliomagenesis.
Glioma; Metallothionein; Stem cells
