Researchers at Loughborough University are uncovering new evidence that exercise may help counteract the cancer-promoting effects of fat cells. The research uses advanced 3D cell culture models and bioluminescence-based assay technology from Promega to generate physiologically relevant data that traditional 2D culture models cannot replicate.
Dr Mhairi Morris, Reader in Exercise Oncology in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, has developed a 3D model of the obesogenic breast cancer microenvironment, incorporating fat cells from two distinct sources: visceral fat and subcutaneous fat, to investigate whether exercise has a differential effect on cancer cells depending on which fat cell type they are exposed to.
The move to 3D was a deliberate and significant one. As Dr Morris explains: “3D models are much more representative of what’s happening in vivo than 2D models. When you grow cells in 2D, they only interact side by side. But in 3D cultures, they can interact in all dimensions, and you can incorporate other cell types and extracellular matrix components to better model the tumour microenvironment.”
Early findings from the model have shown that when cancer cells are cultured with fat cells, viability increases, but when exercise is introduced, that effect is reversed. “What we’re finding is that exercise may help negate some of the negative effects that fat cells have on cancer within the tumour microenvironment,” says Dr Morris. Her team is now focused on unpacking the molecular mechanisms that drive this response.
Generating reliable data within these complex matrix-embedded systems required a shift in methodology. Dr Morris had previously used MTT and WST-1 assays, but found these could not deliver consistent results once the model moved from 2D to 3D. Promega’s CellTiter-Glo® 3D Cell Viability Assay resolved this, offering a simple add-and-read format that works directly in matrix without the need for prior digestion steps, with a total assay time of around 30 minutes, compared to the four-hour incubations previously required. “One of the key questions we’re asking is how exercise impacts cell viability, so it’s critical for us to have an accurate and reproducible measure every time,” she notes.
Philip Hargreaves, PhD, Director of Strategic Marketing & Business Development commented: “Dr Morris’s research is a compelling example of how the right tools can open up new lines of scientific enquiry. The shift to 3D cell models reflects a broader movement in the field towards more physiologically relevant systems, and we are proud that our technology is helping researchers to begin to answer questions that could ultimately inform how we think about exercise as part of cancer care.“
