Tumors are comprised of malignant cancer cells and stromal cells which constitute the tumor microenvironment (TME). Previous studies have shown that cancer associated fibroblast (CAF) in TME is an important promoter of tumor initiation and progression. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms by which CAFs influence the growth of colorectal cancer cells (CRCs) have not been clearly elucidated. In this study, by using a non-contact co-culture system between human colorectal fibroblasts (CCD-18-co) and CRCs (LoVo, SW480, and SW620), we found that fibroblasts existing in tumor microenvironment positively influenced the metabolism of colorectal cancer cells, through its autophagy and oxidative stress pathway which were initially induced by neighboring tumor cells. Therefore, our data provided a novel possibility to develop fibroblasts as a potential target to treat CRC.
Keywords: 3-MA; Colorectal cancer; NAC; autophagy; co-culture; metabolism; oxidative stress.