COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF EXPERIMENTAL OCULAR MELANOMA USING 2 IMPLANTATION TECHNIQUES OF B16-F10 MELANOCYTES

Objective: The aim of this work was to evaluate the behaviour of B16-F 10 melanoma cell cultures implanted in the anterior chamber of the eye of New Zealand white rabbits by studying the clinical-pathological an d ultrastructural characteristics of the lesions. Methods: One group ( A) (consisting of 30 rabbits) was transclerally inoculated (1 mm from sclero-corneal limbus) with 4x10(6) melanocytes and another group (B) (also 30 animals) was inoculated once per week for 3 consecutive weeks with 5x10(6) cells (total 15x10(6)); 30 animals acted as the control group (C). All the lesions were processed for optic and electronic mic roscopy. Results: Tumoral growth in group A was 43% (13/30) and in gro up B 80% (24/30). All lesions were pigmented and none perforated the e yeball. Microscopically, they were a mixture of epithelioid and fusifo rm cells disposed around the blood vessels. Ultrastructurally, the pre sence of melanosomes in different stages of maturation and aberrant me lanosomes were characteristic. Conclusion: We suggest that the transcl eral inoculation of 15 x 10(6) B16-F10 melanocytes into the anterior c hamber of the eye of New Zealand white rabbits may be a valid and repr oducible method for obtaining an experimental ocular melanoma model.