The ApcMin/+ mouse model to study the effects of exercise on gastrointestinal malignancy

Abstract

Epidemiologic evidence in humans supports a strong relationship between energy balance and colorectal cancer. Obesity is associated with an increased incidence of both colon adenomas and carcinomas; physical activity and exercise are associated with decreased incidence and better prognosis. Animal models to study the association of energy balance with colorectal cancer focus on the ApcMin/+ mouse model, which carries a mutation in the Adenomatous Polyposis Coli gene, which is known to be mutated early in the development of colorectal cancer in the human hereditary disorder, Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, as well as in sporadic colon cancer. The ApcMin/+ mouse, which has provided a robust model for studying factors that affect the development of colorectal cancer, serves as the focus of this review of a mouse model to study the effects of exercise on gastrointestinal malignancy.