A comparison of a CB17 scid mouse model and the tetrazolium-dye assay using human haematological tumour cell lines.

Haematological tumours in the CB17 scid mouse produce a disseminated blood-borne disease analogous to that seen in humans. The CB17 scid mouse model has been applied to study the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents on tumours. Using three human tumour-cell lines of haemopoietic origin (CCRF-CEM, Raji, HS-Sultan), we established disseminated tumours in scid mice and studied the in vivo response of these tumours to four chemotherapeutic agents (daunorubicin, idarubicin, ifosfamide, etoposide). The in vitro drug-resistance profiles of the same cell lines to these drugs were also determined by the tetrazolium-dye (MTT) assay. Differences were found in the patterns of resistance and sensitivity of the cell lines in the in vivo and in vitro systems tested. Since the scid mouse model determines the in vivo response of both host and tumour to cytotoxic agents, it may be more valid than the other models in determining drug resistance of haematological malignancies.