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Updated: Oct 12, 2025

Isolation, Culture, and Characterization of Prostate Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts
Published on: August 1, 2025
Peri-Prostatic Adipocyte-Released TGFβ Enhances Prostate Cancer Cell Motility by Upregulation of Connective Tissue
Evelina La Civita1, Antonietta Liotti1, Michele Cennamo1
1Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy.
Abstract:
Periprostatic adipose tissue (PPAT) has emerged as a key player in the prostate cancer (PCa) microenvironment. In this study, we evaluated the ability of PPAT to promote PCa cell migration, as well as the molecular mechanisms involved.
Methods:
We collected conditioned mediums from in vitro differentiated adipocytes isolated from PPAT taken from PCa patients during radical prostatectomy. Migration was studied by scratch assay.
Results:
Culture with CM of human PPAT (AdipoCM) promotes migration in two different human androgen-independent (AI) PCa cell lines (DU145 and PC3) and upregulated the expression of CTGF. SB431542, a well-known TGFβ receptor inhibitor, counteracts the increased migration observed in presence of AdipoCM and decreased CTGF expression, suggesting that a paracrine secretion of TGFβ by PPAT affects motility of PCa cells.
Conclusions:
Collectively, our study showed that factors secreted by PPAT enhanced migration through CTGF upregulation in AI PCa cell lines. These findings reveal the potential of novel therapeutic strategies targeting adipocyte-released factors and TGFβ/CTGF axis to fight advanced PCa dissemination.
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