An In Vivo Mouse Model of Total Intravenous Anesthesia During Cancer Resection Surgery

Summary

This paper describes a method for modeling total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) during cancer resection surgery in mice. The goal is to replicate key features of anesthesia delivery to patients with cancer. The method allows investigation of how anesthetic technique affects cancer recurrence after resection surgery.

Abstract

Anesthesia is a routine component of cancer care that is used for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The anesthetic technique has recently been implicated in impacting long-term cancer outcomes, possibly through modulation of adrenergic-inflammatory responses that impact cancer cell behavior and immune cell function. Emerging evidence suggests that propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) may be beneficial for long-term cancer outcomes when compared to inhaled volatile anesthesia. However, the available clinical findings are inconsistent. Preclinical studies that identify the underlying mechanisms involved are critically needed to guide the design of clinical studies that will expedite insight. Most preclinical models of anesthesia have been extrapolated from the use of anesthesia in in vivo research and are not optimally designed to study the impact of anesthesia itself as the primary endpoint. This paper describes a method for delivering propofol-TIVA anesthesia in a mouse model of breast cancer resection that replicates key aspects of clinical delivery in cancer patients. The model can be used to study mechanisms of action of anesthesia on cancer outcomes in diverse cancer types and can be extrapolated to other non-cancer areas of preclinical anesthesia research.

Introduction

More than 60% of patients with cancer receive anesthesia for surgical resection¹. Currently, there are no specific clinical guidelines that determine the choice of anesthesia used in cancer patients. Surveys of anesthesiologists indicate a preference for volatile-based anesthesia, including during cancer surgery^2,3. However, there is a growing body of evidence that the use of propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) during cancer surgery may associate with improved postoperative outcomes (progression-free survival, overall survival) when compared to volatile anesthesia

Protocol

All animal studies were undertaken under the approval of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at Monash University. In this study, female Balb/c mice aged 6-8 weeks were used.

1. Prepare cancer cells

1. Culture tumor cells in medium. Culture 66cl4 murine mammary cancer cells in alpha-MEM containing 10% FBS and 200 mM glutamine. Cells should text negative for mycoplasma. OPTIONAL: Use cells that are stably transduced to express firefly luciferase for bioluminescence ima.......

Discussion

This study reports on a protocol for administering total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) with propofol in a mouse model of breast cancer that replicates key aspects of clinical practice for TIVA in patients requiring cancer surgery. The protocol allows investigation of both short-term and long-term clinically relevant outcomes after cancer surgery in a mouse model of cancer progression, including measurement of cytokine levels and cancer recurrence (Figure 2, and Figure 3<.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
0.9% saline	Fresnius Kabi	AUST R 197198
Artery forceps	Proscitech	TS1322-140
Buprenorphine	Temgesic	TEMG I
Heated surgical mat	Custom	-
Hypodermic needle (30 G, 1 mL insulin syringe)	Terumo	NN3013R
IVIS Lumina	PerkinElmer	126274
Luciferin	Promega	P1041/2/3
Polyurethane catheter	Intramedic	427401
Povidone Iodine	Betadine	AUST R 29562
Propofol Lipuro, 2%	Braun	3521490
Sevoflurane	Baxter	ANZ2L9117
Sevoflurane vaporiser	Vetquip	VQ1334
Sterile gauze	Multigate Medical Products	11-600A
Surgical scissors	Proscitech	TS1044
Sutures, 5-0 nylon	Dynek	V504
Syringe pump	Harvard Apparatus	70-4500
Syringes (1 mL)	Terumo	SS+01T