Influence of intraperitoneal application of taurolidine/heparin on expression of adhesion molecules and colon cancer in rats undergoing laparoscopy

Background. Recent experimental studies have shown that intrapeiritoneal administration of taurolidine/ heparin causes a reduction of local tumor growth after laparoscopy in rat models. It might be that the antiadherent activities of these agents are responsible for this effect. In this study we investigated the adhesion molecules E-cadherin, beta 1-integrin, and CD44. Materials and methods. Following a 10,000 colon adenocarcinoma cells' (DHD/K12/TRb) intraperitoneal application a cecum resection and a partial parietal peritoneum resection (1 X 1 cm) were performed using a three trocar technique in 30 BD IX rats. After randomization in two groups, the cecum suture line and the parietal peritoneal defect were either lavaged with 1 mL of 0.5% taurolidine/10 IU heparin or with equal amounts of 0.9% normal saline solution. Rats were sacrificed four weeks after operation and total tumor growth was determined. E-cadherin, beta 1-integrin, and CD44 were assessed immunohistochemically on the tumor tissue. Results. The expression of E-cadherin was significantly reduced to 46.7% (complete loss of staining) in the taurolidine/heparin group. Although no significant difference was detected concerning the beta 1-integrin and CD44 expression, a slightly reduced expression level with 26.7% of negative staining in metastases of the taurolidine/heparin group was observed. The total tumor weight (171.1 +/- 181.2 mg) as well as the total number of tumor lesions was also reduced by the substances compared to the control group (283.2 +/- 91.4 mg). Conclusions. Taurolidine/heparin led to a significant reduction of local tumor growth. Additionally a reduction of the expression of E-cadherin was observed. However, the biological behavior of this molecule is multivariant, controversial and still unclear. Further studies should elucidate its role in the epithelial tumor genesis. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.