Role of Adipose Cells in Tumor Microenvironment - The Mechanobiology of Obesity and Related Diseases - page 265

Fig. 1 Adipose tissue
heterogeneity and plasticity.
Adipose tissue consists of a
variety of cell populations:
adipocytes, pre-adipocytes,
adipocyte progenitor cells,
pericytes, endothelial cells,
and leukocytes (mainly
macrophages and other
monocytes). Green arrows
indicate reported
differentiation capacities of
individual cell populations

Adipose progenitor cell

Adipocyte Pre-adipocyte

Monocyte Macrophage

Endothelial cell

Pericyte

studies have tested the possibility that in obesity inflammation-initiated and
metabolic disorder-driven tissue remodeling could contribute to cancer progres-
sion. A building body of evidence indicates that the molecules secreted by WAT
(adipokines) nourish cancer cells, hence promoting tumor growth [ 9 , 10 , 28 , 29 ].
Moreover, recent data show that WAT-derived cells can traffic to the tumor site
where they have a potential for increased cancer-stimulating activity [ 30 - 33 ].
Cancer progression relies on the recruitment of stromal cells, a mixed population
of fibroblastoid cells of both mesenchymal and hematopoietic origins [ 13 ].
Collectively, these cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) [ 34 ] deposit extracellular
matrix (ECM) responsible for desmoplasia and contribute to the epithelial-
mesenchymal transition (EMT), a biological process in which epithelial cells lose
their epithelial characteristics and acquire a mesenchymal phenotype along with
increased migratory and invasive behavior [ 12 , 35 ]. In addition, they stimulate
vascularization and mute the anti-tumor immune response [ 36 - 39 ]. These effects
are executed by angiogenic, immunosuppressive, anti-apoptotic, and mitogenic