Alcohol promotes breast cancer cell invasion by regulating the Nm23-ITGA5 pathway
2011

Alcohol and Breast Cancer Cell Invasion

publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Amy W Wong, Qiwei Paulson, Jina Hong, Renee E Stubbins, Karen Poh, Emily Schrader, Nomeli P Nunez

Primary Institution: University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA

Hypothesis

How does alcohol promote breast cancer cell invasion through the Nm23-ITGA5 pathway?

Conclusion

Alcohol increases the invasive ability of breast cancer cells by regulating the Nm23-ITGA5 pathway.

Supporting Evidence

  • Alcohol increased the invasive ability of T47D cells in a dose-dependent manner.
  • Nm23 down-regulation led to increased ITGA5 expression, promoting cell invasion.
  • Overexpression of Nm23 suppressed the effects of alcohol on cell invasion.

Takeaway

Drinking alcohol can make breast cancer cells more likely to spread in the body by changing how certain genes work.

Methodology

Breast cancer T47D cells were treated with ethanol, and invasion was measured using Boyden chamber assays and gene expression was analyzed by qRT-PCR.

Limitations

The study was conducted in vitro, and results may not fully translate to in vivo conditions.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1756-9966-30-75

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