Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40835002›Full record

ArticleJournal of advanced research2026

Multiple organs exhibit exacerbated cachexia in male mice with colon cancer than females.

Mara Barone, Martina Lunardi, Andrea David Re Cecconi, Federica Palo, Davide Olivari, Fulvia Cerruti, Paolo Cascio, Lorenzo Castagnoli, Martina Bigliardi, Laura Pasetto and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of advanced research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Mara BaroneDepartment of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Martina LunardiDepartment of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Andrea David Re CecconiDepartment of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Federica PaloDepartment of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Davide OlivariDepartment of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Fulvia CerrutiDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Italy.
Paolo CascioDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Italy.
Lorenzo CastagnoliDepartment of Experimental Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy.
Martina BigliardiDepartment of Experimental Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy.
Laura PasettoDepartment of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Valentina BonettoDepartment of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
Mariarita GalbiatiDipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari "Rodolfo Paoletti", Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2018-2027, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
Angelo PolettiDipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari "Rodolfo Paoletti", Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2018-2027, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
Rosanna PiccirilloDepartment of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: rosanna.piccirillo@marionegri.it.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionCachexia is a lethal syndrome with massive muscle wasting that occurs in 60 % of colon cancer patients. Several studies in humans and mice show that males are more prone than females to muscle atrophy caused by colorectal cancer. Understanding whether muscle atrophy precedes or follows other organ alterations may unravel the sex-specific drivers of cachexia.

objectivesIn two mouse models of colon cancer, we explored when cachexia affects multiple organs in both sexes and their sex development, if/how sex hormone may affect in vitro the inflammatory state of colon adenocarcinoma C26, HCT116 and human primary colorectal cancer cells and in vivo the progression of cachexia in C26-carriers.

methodsWe compared tumor growth and cachexia-related responses in C26 males and females and C57BL/6J-Apc

resultsIn both models, cancer-bearing males display more/earlier muscle wasting than females. Muscle proteasome activity is enhanced only in cachectic males and only when they are sexually mature. During cachexia hypogonadism appears earlier in males than females of both models. Tumor-bearing females as long as they are "cycling" are more preserved from cachexia than males. Circulating levels of IL-6 increased more in C26 males than C26 females and spleens were bigger in C26 males also displaying more atrophic and inflamed muscles. 17β-estradiol halved the expression of Il-6 and abrogated the secretion of IL-6 from C26 cells, while fulvestrant surprisingly highly enhanced Il-6 expression, supporting an anti-inflammatory effect of estrogens directly on C26 cells. Similar data were obtained from human (primary) colorectal cancer cells. In vivo β-estradiol 3-benzoate prevented some signs of cachexia in C26 carriers.

conclusionOverall, we herein report a novel direct role of 17β-estradiol on colon cancer cells explaining why multiple tissues from males display more signs of cachexia than females.

Indexed as

CachexiaColonic NeoplasmsAnimalsCell Line, TumorDisease Models, AnimalEstradiolFemaleHCT116 CellsHumansInterleukin-6MaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMuscular AtrophySex FactorsEstradiolInterleukin-6Cancer cachexiaColon cancerMouse modelsSex differenceSex hormones

Identifiers

PMID40835002
PMCPMC13131396

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.