Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 2007.05297

Multiscale modeling of glioma pseudopalisades: contributions from the tumor microenvironment

Abstract

Gliomas are primary brain tumors with a high invasive potential and infiltrative spread. Among them, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) exhibits microvascular hyperplasia and pronounced necrosis triggered by hypoxia. Histological samples showing garland-like hypercellular structures (so-called pseudopalisades) centered around the occlusion site of a capillary are typical for GBM and hint on poor prognosis of patient survival. We propose a multiscale modeling approach in the kinetic theory of active particles framework and deduce by an upscaling process a reaction-diffusion model with repellent pH-taxis. We prove existence of a unique global bounded classical solution for a version of the obtained macroscopic system and investigate the asymptotic behavior of the solution. Moreover, we study two different types of scaling and compare the behavior of the obtained macroscopic PDEs by way of simulations. These show that patterns1 (including pseudopalisades) can be formed for some parameter ranges, in accordance with the tumor grade. This is true when the PDEs are obtained via parabolic scaling (undirected tissue), while no such patterns are observed for the PDEs arising by a hyperbolic limit (directed tissue). This suggests that brain tissue might be undirected - at least as far as glioma migration is concerned. We also investigate two different ways of including cell level descriptions of response to hypoxia and the way they are related.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Pawan Kumar, Jing Li, Christina Surulescu. 2020-07-10. Multiscale modeling of glioma pseudopalisades: contributions from the tumor microenvironment. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00285-021-01599-x

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

A Combined ODE Model of Carbohydrate Fermentation and Colorectal Cancer

We formulate and analyze a system of non-linear ordinary differential equations that describe key metabolic and immunological interactions between butyrate produced by fiber-fermenting gut microbiota, colorectal cancer cells and host cell populations. The model is studied both independently and in conjunction with a pre-existing carbohydrate fermentation model. The parameter space is explored through sensitivity analyses. Simulation experiments are conducted to illustrate the emergence of varying dynamical behaviour driven by butyrate availability. Our model predicts that butyrate production is driven by fiber consumption and further supported by probiotics in the case of microbial dysbiosis. It also suggests that butyrate may help in suppressing tumour growth. We also show that by adding noise with sufficiently high intensity, cancer elimination occurs almost surely in infinite time and that this threshold level of noise intensity decreases with increasing butyrate concentrations.

q-bio.TO

Intestinal villi and crypt density robustly maximizes nutrient absorption

The villi and crypts of the gastrointestinal tract increase the effective surface area of the intestinal mucosa, potentially enhancing nutrient absorption. It is commonly assumed that this is their primary function, and that a higher villi density necessarily leads to improved absorption. However, when villi are packed too closely together, diffusion can be hindered, potentially offsetting this benefit. In this work, we investigate quantitatively the relationship between the density of these structures and the overall efficiency of absorption. In three different simplified geometries, approximating leaf-like villi, finger-like villi, and colonic crypts, we calculate analytically the concentration profile and the absorption flux, assuming that there is only diffusion between these structures while the lumen is well mixed. When plotting the absorption flux per unit of gut length as a function of the structures' density, we observe that there is a density maximizing absorption. We study numerically this optimum. We find that it is robust to the nutrient absorption properties: a geometry optimal for one nutrient is close to optimum for another nutrient. Physiological data from various animal species fall within this predicted optimal range, consistent with the hypothesis that structure density is shaped by selection for efficient nutrient uptake.

q-bio.TO

Interstitial flow in the chick yolk sac exhibits organ-scale patterns driven by segregated leakage and drainage

Interstitial flow plays a key role in drug delivery, angiogenesis, cancer, and edema. Recent studies have identified connected interstitial pathways that can transport material over long distances. However, the spatial scale of physiological interstitial flow remains unclear: despite the existence of connected pathways, flow may be dominated by nearby vascular filtration or extend over longer distances. Here, we identify organ-scale interstitial flow patterns in the chick yolk sac and elucidate the mechanisms that determine their spatial scale. The yolk sac contains an organ-scale interstitial region that enables large-scale flow patterns to be identified without truncation. Our approach combines experimental imaging with computational modeling of coupled blood and interstitial flow in the whole yolk sac. Scaling analysis identifies a hydraulic conductivity ratio that controls the transition from small-scale to organ-scale flow. In organ-scale patterns, we find interstitial flow speed to be substantially greater than the transvascular flow speed. Mechanistically, the organ-scale patterns arise from the spatial segregation of the leakage and drainage of interstitial fluid from the vessels. These findings have important implications for biological transport by interstitial flow, suggesting that flow-mediated cues may be sensed locally but generated nonlocally.

q-bio.TO