Date of Award
Spring 2021
Degree Type
Thesis
Department
Biological Sciences
Director of Thesis
Dr. Marj Pena
Second Reader
Dr. Niti Jani
Abstract
Our research is to understand the effect of the microbiota on colorectal cancer. Evidence has been shown that the microbiota is linked to the development and progression of colorectal cancer. The research focuses on how the gut microbiome influences the effectiveness of colorectal cancer treatments. Specifically, how the composition of the microbiota and the metabolites that it secretes changes the response to chemotherapy. We also research how tumor burden can be altered through changing the composition of the gut bacteria. Our experiments are performed on APC/Min+ mice, that have been genetically altered to have colon cancer. We conducted an experiment to analyze the effect of giving a folate-free diet in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), an agent used to treat colorectal cancer, on tumor burden in mice. 5-FU acts as a Thymidylate synthase inhibitor to stop the production of cancerous DNA. However, damaged DNA can still be produced by using the folate obtained through our diet. This experiment allowed us to determine whether gut microbiome manipulation through diet can alter the response to chemotherapy and tumor burden in colorectal patients.
First Page
1
Last Page
27
Recommended Citation
Stalls, Kendall E., "The Effect of a Folate Free Diet on Tumor Burden and Chemotherapy Effectiveness" (2021). Senior Theses. 717.
https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/senior_theses/717
Rights
© 2021, Kendall E. Stalls
