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Impact of obesity on stromal vascular fraction in adipose tissue as it relates to ovarian cancer

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dc.contributor.authorDavis, Grace Nicoleen
dc.contributor.committeechairSchmelz, Eva Mariaen
dc.contributor.committeememberLiu, Dongminen
dc.contributor.committeememberAllen, Irving C.en
dc.contributor.departmentHuman Nutrition, Foods and Exerciseen
dc.date.accessioned2021-11-10T07:00:19Zen
dc.date.available2021-11-10T07:00:19Zen
dc.date.issued2020-05-18en
dc.description.abstractOvarian cancer is considered to be one of the deadliest gynecological diseases. Over 21,000 women are expected to be diagnosed with this fatal disease in 2020 alone. Obesity, but more specifically a high waist-to-hip ratio, is indicative of abdominal obesity and has been correlated with increased risk of ovarian cancer. How abdominal obesity contributes to this increased risk has not been clearly delineated but much of the current research has been focused on the role of adipocytes. However, in addition to the adipocytes, abdominal white adipose tissue contains the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) which includes stem and progenitor cell populations, immune cells, and fibroblasts. Since the SVF can also be recruited by the cancer cells, we investigated how obesity affects the survival and metastatic potential of cancer cells by investigating changes in the expression of genes that contribute to survival, proliferation, migration, adherence, and invasion. We used culture conditions that mimic the non-permissive peritoneal environment. Cancer related genes, such as Dkc1, Ccnd2, Lig4, and Snai2, were upregulated when adipose derived stem cells (ADSC) were added into MOSE-LTICv spheroids. It was found that peritoneal serous fluid (PSF) from obese mice significantly increased migration of MOSE-LTICv (Serum vs PSF, 517.8 vs 1158.6). These studies brought new knowledge into the field of obesity and ovarian cancer risk and provided direction for future studies involving potential cellular and molecular targets for ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralOvarian cancer affects many women in the United States. Obesity or more specifically, carrying more weight around the waist, can affect a woman's risk of developing ovarian cancer. Abdominal fat needs to be researched to see if abdominal obesity can affect ovarian cancer on the cellular level. Researchers have looked into how fat cells, known as adipocytes, can affect the progression of ovarian cancer, but more research needs to be done on the contributions of other cells found within adipose tissue. Other cells in abdominal fat include cells such as immune cells, stem and progenitor cells and fibroblasts. We have explored how adipose stem cells from obese mice affect the DNA or "the blueprints" of the cells, survival, and progression of mouse ovarian cancer cells. We found that when adipose stem cells are combined with ovarian cancer cells the expression of certain genes or particular "blueprints" increased. The genes whose expression increased included Dkc1, Ccnd2, Lig4, and Snai2 and when deregulated can cause ovarian cancer cells to become more aggressive. The abdominal fluid from obese mice was found to increase migration of ovarian cancer cells which simulates an increase in metastatic potential. This information has given new insight into the obesity and ovarian cancer relationship.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:25719en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/106568en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectOvarian canceren
dc.subjectObesityen
dc.subjectstromal vascular fractionen
dc.titleImpact of obesity on stromal vascular fraction in adipose tissue as it relates to ovarian canceren
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineHuman Nutrition, Foods, and Exerciseen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

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