RESUMO
The progression of tumors occurs through interactions between the tumor and the stroma. Understanding the role of adipose tissue (AT), as the main component of the breast tumor microenvironment (TME) in the development of cancer, is crucial for the early detection of breast cancer (BC). This study compared the FA profiles, desaturase index (DI), and stearoyl CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) mRNA levels in the AT that surrounds tumors in women with BC and benign breast disease (BBD). Specimens were collected from 40 Iranian women who had undergone breast surgery. These women were age- and BMI-matched and were divided into two groups: BC (n = 20) and BBD (n = 20). Gas chromatography and quantitative real-time PCR were used to analyze the FA profiles and SCD1 mRNA levels, respectively. The DI was calculated by dividing the amounts of monounsaturated FAs by the amount of saturated FA. There were no significant differences in age and BMI between women with BC and BBD. The FA profiles and DI were also similar in both groups. However, mRNA levels of SCD1 were found to be 5 times higher in the breast AT of BC than in the breast AT of BBD (p < 0.0001). We showed that SCD1 was significantly upregulated in the AT surrounding BC tumors, even though the DI and FA profiles were unchanged compared to those in the AT of BBD patients. It is important to note that the breast AT of women with BBD has previously been overlooked and warrants further studies.
RESUMO
Canine mammary gland tumors are the most frequent cause of cancer in female dogs. Numerous studies using cancer cell lines and clinical trials have indicated that various natural products and antioxidants reduce or possibly prevent the development of cancer. Berberine (BBR), the most important alkaloid in the Berberidaceae, which exerts a wide range of pharmacological and biochemical effects, has drawn much attention due to its particularly high antitumor activity in vitro and in animal studies. The aim of the present study was to investigate the antiproliferative effect of BBR against a canine mammary gland carcinoma cell line (CF41.Mg) in vitro. CF41.Mg cells were cultured in RPMI-1640 medium containing 10% heat inactived fetal bovine serum (FBS) and 100 mg/ml peniciline-streptomycin. Subsequently the cells were treated with different concentrations of BBR chloride (10, 25, 50, 100 and 200 µM) at a density of 12,000 cells/well in 96-well plates. Following treatment, the MTT assay was used to detect cell viability after 24-, 48- and 72-h incubations at 37°C with 5% CO2. The results indicated that BBR inhibited proliferation of canine mammary gland carcinoma cells, as treatment with 100 µM BBR for 24 h resulted in a significant decrease in cell viability (P<0.005). As the present study demonstrated that BBR (10-200 µM) induced cancer cell death, it is proposed that BBR may serve as a candidate agent against canine mammary tumor cells via its antiproliferative activity.
