Investigation of the apelin adipokine as a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer patients in the context of obesity

Obesity is known to increase the risk of developing breast cancer, to promote mammary tumor progression and to reduce the response to chemotherapy. However, the mechanisms involved in the association between obesity and breast cancer are still not well understood. As the apelin adipokine is overexpressed in obesity, our project was designed to investigate the potential effects of apelin on breast cancer progression in the context of obesity. We showed in mice that reproducing obesity-relevant levels of apelin in lean mice promoted breast cancer growth and metastatization. In addition, the administration of an apelinergic antagonist in obese mice succeeded in reducing breast cancer progression. Finally, we showed in human breast cancer patients that high tumoral apelin expression was associated with a reduced response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. These results highlighted that targeting the apelinergic system could be beneficial for obese breast cancer patients.(BIFA - Sciences biomédicales et pharmaceutiques) -- UCL, 202