Colon cancer-derived myofibroblasts increase endothelial cell migration by glucocorticoid-sensitive secretion of a pro-migratory factor

Angiogenesis is important in cancer progression and can be influenced by tumor-associated myofibroblasts. We addressed the hypothesis that glucocorticoids indirectly affect angiogenesis by altering the release of pro-angiogenic factors from colon cancer-derived myofibroblasts. Our study shows that glucocorticoids reduced prostanoids, urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and angiopoietin-like protein-2 (ANGPTL2) levels, but increased angiogenin (ANG) in supernatant from human CT5.3hTERT colon cancer-derived myofibroblasts. Conditioned medium from solvent- (CMS) and dexamethasone (Dex)-treated (CMD) myofibroblasts increased human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation, but did not affect expression of pro-angiogenic factors or tube-like structure formation (by HUVECs or human aortic ECs). In a HUVEC scratch assay CMS-induced acceleration of wound healing was blunted by CMD treatment. Moreover, CMS-induced neovessel growth in mouse aortic rings ex vivo was also blunted using CMD. The latter effect could be ascribed to both Dex-driven reduction of secreted factors and potential residual Dex present in CMD (indicated using a dexamethasone-spiked CMS control). A similar control in the scratch assay, however, revealed that altered levels of factors in the CMD, and not potential residual Dex, were responsible for decreased wound closure. In conclusion, our results suggest that glucocorticoids indirectly alter endothelial cell function during tumor development in vivo.