Abstract 2844: In vitro recapitulation of in vivo obesity-promoted colorectal cancer growth using a patient-derived xenograft engineered tumor model
Authors: Hassani Iman , Anbiah Benjamin , Ahmed Bulbul , Habbit Nicole L. , Greene Michael W. , Lipke Elizabeth A. 
Published: August 2019

Strong epidemiological evidence links obesity to an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying such an association have not been fully elucidated, partly due to the lack of physiologically relevant models. Here, we established a novel PEG-fibrinogen-based engineered tumor model using patient-derived xenograft (PDX) CRC co-cultured with 3T3-L1 adipocytes and an orthotopically implanted PDX CRC model of obesity.

The PDX CRC cells were isolated from PDXs propagated subcutaneously in NOD-SCID mice and encapsulated within a biomimetic polymer, PEG-fibrinogen, to create 3D engineered PDX CRC tumors (3DePCCTs) or cultured in a standard 2D manner. We compared cell viability, colony area, and cell subpopulations within the 3DePCCTs and stiffness of the 3DePCCTs to the in vivo propagated tumors. A stage IV CRC tumor was employed in vivo and in vitro to study obesity-promoted tumor growth. Responsiveness of the 3DePCCTs to the growth promoting effects of obesity was investigated through continuous co-culture with insulin sensitive (IS) and resistant (IR) (treated with TNFα and 1% hypoxia) 3T3-L1 adipocytes (adipocytes replaced every 72 hrs). The responsiveness of the stage IV CRC PDX line was validated using an orthotopically implanted CRC model of obesity in which Rag1tm1Mom mice were fed a high fat Western diet + 4% sugar water (HFWD+S) to induce obesity or a chow diet to maintain a lean phenotype.

The cells within the 3DePCCTs remained viable and the PDX-line dependent differential growth of tumor colony area within the 3DePPCTs recapitulated line-dependent difference in in vivo tumor growth. Based on flow cytometry, human (70±3%) and Cytokeratin 20+ (31±1) cell subpopulations within the 3DePCCTs were similar to the original in vivo tumor tissue and maintained over time, whereas supporting mouse stromal cells took over 2D cultured cells (n=3 batches). Stiffness of the 3DePCCTs was within the range of the in vivo tumor tissue stiffness (0.3 to3.6 KPa, n=3 tissues). In vitro adipocytes maintained IR for at least 72 hrs based on significantly higher MCP1 (at least 10 folds) and lower GLUT4 (maximally 0.1 fold) (n=3 batches). The in vitro coculture model revealed a significantly (p &lt; 0.05) greater number of cancer cell colonies within 3DePCCTs after 8 days of co-culture with IR adipocytes compared to IS adipocytes and this difference increased through day 29. In the in vivo model, a significant (p &lt; 0.05) greater than 2-fold increase in weight of PDX CRC tumors grown in mice fed the HFWD+S diet was observed.

We have established the ability to maintain PDX CRC cells in 3D culture long-term (29 days) and generated a novel in vitro obesity-mimetic engineered tumor model that recapitulated the growth promoting effects of the in vivo orthotopic, IR tumor microenvironment and could be used to examine mechanistic questions and therapeutic targets.

Citation Format: Iman Hassani, Benjamin Anbiah, Bulbul Ahmed, Nicole L. Habbit, Michael W. Greene, Elizabeth A. Lipke. In vitro recapitulation of in vivo obesity-promoted colorectal cancer growth using a patient-derived xenograft engineered tumor model [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2844.