查看文章

Prostate cancer (PCa) cells express Toll‐like receptor‐4 (TLR4), a known pro‐tumorigenic molecule for different cancer cells. The cancer cells residing in the avascular region of the tumor confront various metabolic stresses and continuously adapt mechanisms to overcome them. We hypothesized that TLR4 activation might provide direct survival advantage to metabolically stressed PCa cells.

We first investigated the effect of LPS on survival of serum deprived PCa cells. To understand the molecular mechanisms involved in TLR4 mediated PCa survival, we next investigated change in expression of markers for apoptosis, senescence and autophagy. Ultimately, the effect of LPS on established prostate tumors was confirmed in vivo using a syngeneic rat model for PCa.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐mediated TLR4 activation significantly enhanced survival of serum deprived …