Background: In oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), a minor subset of cancer stem cells has been identified using the surface marker CD24. The CD24+ cell population is involved in initiating, maintaining, and expanding tumor growth, but has not been reported to be involved in angiogenesis to date.
Methods: NOD/SCID mice were equipped with dorsal skinfold chambers and gelatin sponges seeded with CD24+, CD24-, and unsorted cancer cells suspended in Matrigel® were implanted. Following intravital fluorescence microscopy, specimens were examined by immunohistology.
Results: Sponges seeded with CD24+ cells showed a significantly higher functional capillary density than those seeded with CD24- cells. The presence of endothelial cells was confirmed by immunohistochemistry for CD31.
Conclusion: For the first time, CD24+ tumorigenic cells with angiogenic potential, which were isolated from OSCC, were characterized. Our findings provide a promising in vivo model to facilitate the development of therapeutic agents against cancer stem cells and their angiogenic pathways.
Keywords: Angiogenesis; CD24; Cancer stem cells; Head and neck cancer; Oral cancer; Oral squamous cell carcinoma.
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