u-0126 and Diabetes-Mellitus

Diabetes is a risk factor for breast cancer development and is associated with poor prognosis for breast cancer patients. However, the molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying the association between diabetes and breast cancer have not been fully elucidated. Here, we investigated estradiol response in MCF-7 breast cancer cells with or without chronic exposure to insulin. We found that insulin priming is necessary and specific for estradiol-induced cancer cell growth, and induces anaplerotic shunting of glucose into macromolecule biosynthesis in the estradiol treated cells. Treatment with ERK or Akt specific inhibitors, U0126 or LY294002, respectively, suppressed estradiol-induced growth. Interestingly, molecular analysis revealed that estradiol treatment markedly increases expression of cyclin A and B, and decreases p21 and p27 in the insulin-primed cells. In addition, estradiol treatment activated metabolic genes in pentose phosphate (PPP) and serine biosynthesis pathways in the insulin-primed cells while insulin priming decreased metabolic gene expression associated with glucose catabolism in the breast cancer cells. Finally, we found that anti-diabetic drug metformin and AMPK ligand AICAR, but not thiazolidinediones (TZDs), specifically suppress the estradiol-induced cellular growth in the insulin-primed cells. These findings suggest that estrogen receptor (ER) activation under chronic hyperinsulinemic condition increases breast cancer growth through the modulation of cell cycle and apoptotic factors and nutrient metabolism, and further provide a mechanistic evidence for the clinical benefit of metformin use for ER-positive breast cancer patients with diabetes.

Topics: Breast Neoplasms; Butadienes; Cell Proliferation; Chromones; Diabetes Complications; Diabetes Mellitus; Estradiol; Estrogen Receptor alpha; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Glucose; Humans; Insulin; MCF-7 Cells; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; Morpholines; Nitriles; Oncogene Protein v-akt; Risk Factors

Hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia are considered critical to the development of diabetic nephropathy. The aim of this study is to clarify the effect of cholesterol on advanced-glycation-end-products and the mechanisms behind the advanced-glycation-end-product-cholesterol-aggregated bovine serum albumin (BSA)-induced proliferation of mesangial cells. Mesangial cells were treated with advanced-glycation-end-product-cholesterol-aggregated-BSA, and RNA and protein were isolated. Cholesterol caused a 1.5-fold increase in fluorescent intensity and 2-fold increase in advanced-glycation-end-products in vitro. Pyridoxamine, aminoguanidine, and N-acetyl-l-cycteine suppressed the production of advanced-glycation-end-product-cholesterol-aggregated-BSA. Advanced-glycation-end-product-cholesterol-BSA was analyzed by matrix-assisted-laser-desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry, and peaks were found to shift toward a higher mass. Advanced-glycation-end-product-cholesterol-aggregated-BSA induced overexpression of the mRNA of transforming growth factor-beta1, collagen type 1, collagen type 4 and receptor for advanced-glycation-end-products, and the proliferation of mesangial cells. The injection of advanced-glycation-end-product-cholesterol-aggregated-BSA caused glomerular changes and albuminuria in non-diabetic mice. A transforming-growth-factor-beta receptor 1 kinase inhibitor or Mitogen-activated-Protein-Kinase/Extracellular-Signal-regulated-Kinase kinase (ERK) inhibitor (U-0126) suppressed the proliferation of mesangial cells induced by advanced-glycation-end-product-cholesterol-aggregated-BSA dose-dependently. U-0126 inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in advanced-glycation-end-product-cholesterol-aggregated-BSA treated mesangial cells. These findings suggested that cholesterol promotes the formation of advanced-glycation-end-products-protein and that advanced-glycation-end-product-cholesterol-aggregated protein stimulates mesangial cells to proliferate via transforming-growth-factor-beta receptors and the ERK-MAPK pathway in diabetic glomeruli.

Topics: Animals; Butadienes; Cattle; Cell Proliferation; Cholesterol; Diabetes Mellitus; Extracellular Space; Glycation End Products, Advanced; Lipid Peroxidation; Male; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Mesangial Cells; Mice; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Nitriles; Phosphorylation; Protein Multimerization; Protein Structure, Quaternary; Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta; RNA, Messenger; Serum Albumin, Bovine; Transforming Growth Factor beta1