Effects of social status and moderate alcohol consumption on mammary gland and endometrium of surgically postmenopausal monkeys.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of social subordination stress and chronic moderate alcohol consumption on indices of breast and endometrial cancer risk.


METHODS
Forty-six adult, ovariectomized, cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were trained to voluntarily drink a placebo or a two-drink/day equivalent of ethanol (0.5 g/kg), 5 days a week for 26 months, the latter resulting in average blood alcohol levels of 42 mg/100 mL. Indices of cell proliferation and sex steroid receptor abundance were measured.


RESULTS
Compared with dominants, socially subordinate females had increased cell proliferation and proportions of glandular (P < 0.02) and epithelial tissue (P = 0.009) and less stroma (P < 0.02) in endometrium, and increased tissue thickness in breast (P < 0.05). There was no evidence of increased risk of breast or endometrial cancer with chronic moderate alcohol consumption, as indicated by markers of cell proliferation and sex steroid receptor abundance. Chronic moderate alcohol consumption did not effect circulating sex steroid concentrations (all P > 0.10). The adipocyte hormones leptin and adiponectin were correlated with indices of cell proliferation and sex steroid receptor abundance.


CONCLUSIONS
These observations suggest that social status was more important than chronic moderate alcohol consumption in endometrial and breast biology of surgically postmenopausal females. Endogenous sex steroid metabolism was not significantly affected by chronic moderate alcohol exposure consistent with the lack of estrogen-like effects on breast and endometrium. Social subordination stress was associated with initial cellular changes that may increase endometrial cancer risk. Ovariectomized cynomolgus monkeys may be a useful model for the study of effects of social factors and obesity on breast and endometrial cancer risk.
Shively
Carol A
CA
Comparative Medicine Section, Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1040, USA. cshively@wfubmc.edu
Register
Thomas C
TC
Grant
Kathleen A
KA
Johnson
Jami L
JL
Cline
J Mark
JM
D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004291:Dominance-Subordination; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D004717:Endometrium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D015674:Mammary Neoplasms, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology; D010052:Ovariectomy; D011897:Random Allocation; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*
D000431:Ethanol