Effects of Thrombin on the Growth of Pancreatic Cancer Cells and Cancer Associated Fibroblasts Using a Microfluidic Model
Abstract
Thrombotic events are known to be associated with various cancers and recent research has implicated parts of the coagulation system in promoting cancer progression. In particular, thrombin has been studied for its mitogenic effects in 2D cultures as well as in cancer progression in vivo in animal models however, conflicting results exist. Studies of proliferation in response to thrombin stimulation, of pancreatic cancer cells or pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in vitro, that utilize a 3D culture platform are significantly limited. In this study, PDAC cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) cells were exposed to thrombin using a microfluidic device that mimics in vivo conditions. The cells used herein were cultured in a microfluid device, suspended inside of a 3D collagen matrix, and exposed to daily stimulation of 1 U/mL of thrombin in serum-free media for one hour. The findings of this study are that there is no statistically significant effect, promotive or inhibitory, on the proliferation of the cells used in this study, these results were unexpected. At the end of this paper, a review of potential reasons as to why no significant effect was seen on the cells is presented.
Degree
M.Sc.
Advisors
Han, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Morphology|Cellular biology|Medicine|Oncology|Pharmacology
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