Macrophages Upregulate Estrogen Receptor Expression in the Model of Obesity-Associated Breast Carcinoma

The Complex Connection between Obesity and Cancer: Signaling Pathways and Therapeutic Implications

Obesity has emerged as an important global health challenge, significantly influencing the incidence and progression of various cancers. This comprehensive review elucidates the complex relationship between obesity and oncogenesis, focusing particularly on the role of dysregulated signaling pathways as central mediators of this association. We delve into the contributions of obesity-induced alterations in key signaling cascades, including PI3K/AKT/mTOR, JAK/STAT, NF-κB, and Wnt/β-catenin to carcinogenesis. These alterations facilitate unchecked cellular proliferation, chronic inflammation and apoptosis resistance. Epidemiological evidence links obesity with increased cancer susceptibility and adverse prognostic outcomes, with pronounced risks for specific cancers such as breast, colorectal, endometrial and hepatic malignancies. This review synthesizes data from both animal and clinical studies to underscore the pivotal role of disrupted signaling pathways in shaping innovative therapeutic strategies. We highlight the critical importance of lifestyle modifications in obesity management and cancer risk mitigation, stressing the benefits of dietary changes, physical activity, and behavioral interventions. Moreover, we examine targeted pharmacological strategies addressing aberrant pathways in obesity-related tumors and discuss the integration of cutting-edge treatments, including immunotherapy and precision medicine, into clinical practice.

Urine levels of estrogen and its metabolites in premenopausal middle-aged women with different degrees of obesity and their correlation with glucose and lipid metabolism

Objectives

To determine the levels of estrogen and estrogen metabolites in the urine of premenopausal women with obesity and their correlation with glucose and lipid metabolism.

Methords

135 premenopausal women were selected from the same area. According to the body mass index (BMI), they were divided into four different groups. High performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) was adopted to detect the concentrations of estrogen and estrogen metabolites in the urine. The influencing factors of BMI were analyzed, the correlation between the urinary degrees of estrogen and estrogen metabolites and glucose and lipid metabolism levels was assessed.

Results

(1) The concentrations of 17β-estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), 16α-hydroxyestrone (16α-OHE1) and 2-hydroxyestrone (2-OHE1) gradually increased with increasing BMI (p < 0.05). (2) Stepwise regression analysis displayed that the concentrations of E2, 16α-OHE1 and 2-OHE1 in urine were significantly positively correlated with BMI (p < 0.05). (3) The concentrations of E2, E1, 16α-OHE1, 2-OHE1 and 16α-OHE1/2-OHE1 in urine were greatly positively related to fasting insulin (FIN), Triglyceride (TG), Total Cholesterol (TC) and Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (p < 0.05). And they were greatly negatively related to High-density lipoprotein (HDL) (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Early screening can reflect the degree of obesity and glucose and lipid metabolism disorders in premenopausal middle-aged women, thereby providing guidance for improving the prognosis of obese women.

Excess body weight and postmenopausal breast cancer: Emerging molecular mechanisms and perspectives

Postmenopausal, obese women have a significantly higher risk of developing estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast tumors, that are resistant to therapies and are associated with higher recurrence and death rates. The global prevalence of overweight/obese women has reached alarming proportions and with postmenopausal ER+ breast carcinoma (BC) having the highest incidence among the three obesity-related cancers in females (i.e., breast, endometrial and ovarian), this is of significant concern. Elucidation of the precise molecular mechanisms underlying the pro-cancerous action of obesity in ER+BC is therefore critical for disease prevention and novel treatment initiatives. Interestingly, accumulating data has shown opposing relationships between obesity and cancer in either pre- or post-menopausal women. Excess body weight is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women and a decreased risk in pre-menopausal women. Moreover, excess adiposity during early life appears to be protective against postmenopausal breast cancer, including both ER+ and ER negative BC subtypes. Overall, estrogen-dependent mechanisms have been implicated as the main driving force in obesity-related breast tumorigenesis. In the present review we discuss the epidemiologic and mechanistic aspects of association between obesity and breast tumors after menopause, mainly in the context of hormone dependency. Molecular and cellular events underlying this association present as potential avenues for both therapeutic intervention as well as the prevention of BC-promoting processes linked to excess adiposity, which is proving to be vital in an increasingly obese global population.

Structure-based virtual screening, molecular simulation and free energy calculations of traditional Chinese medicine, ZINC database revealed potent inhibitors of estrogen-receptor α (ERα)

Breast Cancer, a heterogeneous disease at the molecular level, is the most common cause of woman mortality worldwide. We used molecular screening and simulation approaches to target nuclear receptor protein-estrogen receptor alpha (Erα) protein to design and develop of specific and compelling drugs from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and ZINC database against pathophysiology of breast cancer. Using virtual screening, only six hits TCM22717, TCM23524, TCM31953, while ZINC05632920, ZINC05773243, and ZINC12780336 demonstrated better pharmacological potential than the 4-hydroxytamoxifen (OHT) taken as control. Binding mode of each of the top hit revealed that these compounds could block the main active site residues and block the function of Erα protein. Moreover, molecular simulation revealed that the identified compounds exhibit stable dynamics and may induce stronger therapeutic effects in experimental setup. All the complexes reported tighter structural packing and less flexible behaviour. We found that the average hydrogen bonds in the identified complexes remained higher than the control drug. Finally, the total binding free energy demonstrated the best hits among the all. The BF energy results revealed -30.4525 ± 3.3565 for the 4-hydroxytamoxifen (OHT)/Erα complex, for the TCM22717/Erα -57.0597 ± 3.4852 kcal/mol, for the TCM23524/Erα complex the BF energy was -56.9084 ± 3.3737 kcal/mol, for the TCM31953/Erα the BF energy was -32.4191 ± 3.8864 kcal/mol while for the ZINC05632920/Erα complex -46.3182 ± 2.7380, ZINC05773243/Erα complex -38.3690 ± 2.8240, and ZINC12780336/Erα complex the BF energy was calculated to be -35.8048 ± 4.1571 kcal/mol.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Body Shape Phenotypes and Breast Cancer Risk: A Mendelian Randomization Analysis

Observational and genetic studies have linked different anthropometric traits to breast cancer (BC) risk, with inconsistent results. We aimed to investigate the association between body shape defined by a principal component (PC) analysis of anthropometric traits (body mass index [BMI], height, weight, waist-to-hip ratio [WHR], and waist and hip circumference) and overall BC risk and by tumor sub-type (luminal A, luminal B, HER2+, triple negative, and luminal B/HER2 negative). We performed two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses to assess the association between 188 genetic variants robustly linked to the first three PCs and BC (133,384 cases/113,789 controls from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC)). PC1 (general adiposity) was inversely associated with overall BC risk (0.89 per 1 SD [95% CI: 0.81-0.98]; p-value = 0.016). PC2 (tall women with low WHR) was weakly positively associated with overall BC risk (1.05 [95% CI: 0.98-1.12]; p-value = 0.135), but with a confidence interval including the null. PC3 (tall women with large WHR) was not associated with overall BC risk. Some of these associations differed by BC sub-types. For instance, PC2 was positively associated with a risk of luminal A BC sub-type (1.09 [95% CI: 1.01-1.18]; p-value = 0.02). To clarify the inverse association of PC1 with breast cancer risk, future studies should examine independent risk associations of this body shape during childhood/adolescence and adulthood.

Diets Differently Regulate Tumorigenesis in Young E0771 Syngeneic Breast Cancer Mouse Model

Breast cancer (BC) is the most diagnosed cancer type, accounting for one in eight cancer diagnoses worldwide. Epidemiological studies have shown that obesity is associated with increased risk of BC in post-menopausal women, whereas adiposity reduces the risk of BC in premenopausal women. The mechanistic link between obesity and BC has been examined by combining murine BC models with high-fat diet (HFD) induced obesity. However, the effect of adiposity (not obesity) induced by a short period of HFD consumption on BC pathogenesis is not well understood. In the current study, we examined the effects of different diet compositions on BC pathogenesis using a young E0771 syngeneic BC mouse model fed on either an HFD or regular diet (RD: a low-fat high-carbohydrate diet) for a short period (4 weeks) before implanting mammary tumors in mice. We analyzed the effect of diet composition on the onset of tumor growth, metastasis, and metabolic and immune status in the tumor microenvironment (TME) using various methods including in vivo bioluminescence imaging and immunoblotting analyses. We showed for the first time that a short-term HFD delays the onset of tumorigenesis by altering the immune and metabolic signaling and energy mechanism in the TME. However, RD may increase the risk of tumorigenesis and metastasis by increasing pro-inflammatory factors in the TME in young mice. Our data suggest that diet composition, adipogenesis, and loss of body fat likely regulate the pathogenesis of BC in a manner that differs between young and post-menopausal subjects.