Orthotopic pituitary tumors generated by stereotaxic GC cell injection in immunocompetent rats
Innovative treatment strategies for pituitary tumors are necessary to limit the disease burden and to improve survival in cases of carcinomas. The paucity and inaccuracy of available preclinical models substantially hamper pituitary research and drug discovery. Hence, we describe a novel method to generate orthotopic pituitary tumors via stereotaxic injection of somatotroph GC cells into the pituitaries of immunocompetent Wistar Furth rats. Tumor growth was monitored by repeated 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging. The procedure consistently led to rapidly expanding intra- and suprasellar growth hormone-secreting tumors within their native anatomical environment. The generated tumors faithfully reproduced the microarchitecture of human somatotroph pituitary adenomas, including the immune infiltrates and other typical components of their microenvironment, which is a prerequisite for testing immunomodulating agents. This orthotopic model of proliferative pituitary tumors developed in immunocompetent hosts therefore unlocks new opportunities for preclinical studies.
Authors
- Clovis Adam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1083-8379)
- N. Ladurelle
- Philippe Zizzari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8838-0762)
- Céline Revenu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3697-3739)
- Clément Janot
- Isabelle Beau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3352-6813)
- Peter Kamenický (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1994-4226)
- Fanny Chasseloup (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2228-9437)
- Etienne Lefevre (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3055-996X)
- Alexandre Carpentier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7312-6358)
- Jean Laurent Thibaud
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Université de Bordeaux (FR)
- Inserm (FR)
- Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (FR)
- Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital (FR)
- Neurocentre Magendie (FR)
- Science et Médecine (France) (FR)
- Bicêtre Hospital (FR)
- Génétique et biologie du développement (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Acta Neuropathologica Communications
- Published
- 2025-07-05
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-025-02052-6
- Primary Topic
- Pituitary Gland Disorders and Treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale
- Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris