Oestrone sulphate, adipose tissue, and breast cancer
- 1 February 1985
- journal article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment
- Vol. 6 (1), 75-87
- https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01806013
Abstract
Oestrone sulphate, the oestrogen in highest concentration in the plasma, may play a role in the induction and growth of breast cancers. By enzymolysis and radioimmunoassay, oestrone sulphate concentrations were measured in 3 biological fluids. High concentrations of the conjugate (up to 775 nmol/l) were detected in breast cyst fluids from some premenopausal women, the concentrations in blood plasma (0.91–4.45 nmol/l) being much lower. Concentrations in the plasmas from postmenopausal women with (0.23–4.63 nmol/l) or without (0.18–1.27 nmol/l) breast cancer were still lower. Oestrone sulphate concentration in cow's milk or cream (0.49–0.67 nmol/l) was also low: dietary intake in these fluids is probably of little consequence. The capacity of breast tissues for hydrolysis of oestrone sulphate was examined in two ways: In tissue slices incubated with 85 pM (3H) oestrone sulphate solution at 37° C, cancers (131–412 fmol/g tissue/hr) and adipose tissues (23–132 fmol/g tissue/hr) hydrolysed significantly more sulphate than did benign tissues (1–36 fmol/g tissue/hr). In tissue homogenates incubated with 5–25µM [3H] oestrone sulphate at 37° much higher capacities for hydrolysis (nmol/g tissue/hr) were demonstrated with a Km of 2–16.5µM: cancers (34–394) and benign tissues (9–485) had significantly higher sulphatase activities than adipose tissues (9–39). On a protein basis, however, the sulphatase activities in the 3 tissues were comparable. It is concluded that oestrone sulphate is present in breast cysts and blood plasma and thatin vitro, the conjugated hormone can be hydrolysed by breast tissues. The biological significance of these findingsin vivo remains to be established.Keywords
This publication has 50 references indexed in Scilit:
- Estriol in human breast cyst fluidJournal of Steroid Biochemistry, 1984
- Estrogen sulfatase and estrogen sulfotransferase in human primary mammary carcinomaJournal of Steroid Biochemistry, 1983
- The plasma concentration of oestrone sulphate in postmenopausal women: Lack of diurnal variation, effect of ovariectomy, age and weightThe Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 1981
- The aromatization of androstenedione by human adipose and liver tissueThe Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 1980
- The Epidemiology and Etiology of Breast CancerNew England Journal of Medicine, 1980
- Oestrogen receptors and metabolism of oestrone sulphate in human mammary carcinomaEuropean Journal of Cancer (1965), 1980
- ADIPOSE TISSUE AND ÆTIOLOGY OF BREAST CANCERThe Lancet, 1978
- ADIPOSE TISSUE, A NEGLECTED FACTOR IN ÆTIOLOGY OF BREAST CANCER?The Lancet, 1978
- A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye bindingAnalytical Biochemistry, 1976
- The epidemiology of breast cancer; Review and prospectsInternational Journal of Cancer, 1969