Obesity is a detrimental disease that is associated with a plethora of illnesses, including cancer (Bray, 2002).  Leptin is a molecule that is secreted by adipose tissue and is thus directly correlated to the amount of fat in the body. At first glance leptin appears to be an advantageous solution to obesity due to its ability to suppress apetite; however, it has been associated with chemoresistance in cancer (Alexe, 2006; Konopleva, 1999). K562 erythroleukemia cells display increased leptin receptor expression that does not result in leptin-induced increased proliferation (Konopleva, 1999). The purpose of this research is to study the link between leptin and possible mechanisms of chemoresistance in K562 cells.  Flow cytometry analysis after acridine orange and propidium iodide incubation will be used to screen for cell death after exposure to rapamycin and plumbagin (autophagy inducers) and cytarabine (AraC, apoptosis inducer at high doses) in the presence of leptin.

Investigation of leptin-induced chemoresistance mechanisms in K562 erythroleukemia cells

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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