The Effects of Serum from Prostate Cancer Patients with Elevated Body Mass Index on Prostate Cancer Cells in Vitro

We examined whether serum from obese, compared to non-obese, PCa (prostate cancer) patients creates a growth-enhancing tumor micro-environment in vitro. Serum from 80 subjects was divided into four groups: normal weight men with and without PCa and overweight/obese men with and without PCa. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were measured in LNCaP, and PC3 cells treated with patient serum were obtained from the above groups. The results reveal that proliferation of LNCaP cells was significantly (P = 0.05) greater with serum from non-obese (mean = 1.26 ± 0.20) compared to that from obese patients (mean = 1.16 ± 0.19). Serum from obese PCa patients compared to non-obese PCa patients induced significantly greater amounts of cell migration (P < 0.01) in PC3 cells. Serum from obese patients induced significantly (P < 0.01) lower amounts of cell invasion (mean = 8.2 ± 4.5) compared to non-obese patients (mean = 18.1 ± 5.0) when treated on PC3 cells. Serum TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor alpha) levels correlated with LNCaP cell proliferation in vitro in non-obese PCa (P < 0.01) and non-obese control groups (P = 0.05). All statistical calculations controlled for age, since the PCa patient groups were significantly older than the control groups (P < 0.01). In conclusion, serum from obese PCa patients induced greater PCa cell migration and lower cell proliferation and invasion in vitro.