Clusterin and neuropilin-2 as potential biomarkers of tumor progression in benzo[a]pyrene-transformed 16HBE cells xenografted nude mouse model

•CLU and NRP2 are elevated in culture supernatant of T-16HBE-C1 cells.•CLU and NRP2 are elevated in sera of T-16HBE-C1 cells xenografted nude mice.•CLU was more sensitive to reflect tumor progression compared with NRP2.•Multiple biomarkers could improve effectiveness of tumor progression forecast.•CLU and NRP2 could be key molecules concerning BaP-induced carcinogenesis.

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a ubiquitous environment contaminant and its exposure could increase incidence of human lung cancer. In order to confirm and compare potential biomarkers of BaP-induce carcinogenesis and tumor progression, time-dependent changes of clusterin (CLU) and neuropilin-2 (NRP2) levels were evaluated in sera of BaP-transformed 16HBE cell line T-16HBE-C1 cells xenografted nude mice. Performance of CLU and NRP2 on tissue classification and tumor progression forecast was also calculated. Levels of CLU and NRP2 were significant elevated in both culture supernatant of T-16HBE-C1 cells and sera of T-16HBE-C1 cells xenografted nude mice compared with control. CLU and NRP2 were both found positively stained in tumor tissue. CLU and NRP2 alone could well predicate tumor progression in nude mice and CLU appeared to be more sensitive than NRP2. When both of them combined, performance of predication would improve. In conclusion, CLU and NRP2 could serve as potential biomarkers of tumor progression in nude mice xenografted with T-16HBE-C1 cells.

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