title: Detection of superoxide dismutase-1 in nipple aspirate fluids: a reactive oxygen species-regulating enzyme in the breast cancer microenvironment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Analysis of nipple aspirate fluid (NAF) allows the noninvasive identification of both cellular and biomolecular markers of human breast cancer, the most common female malignancy in developed countries. Cytosolic superoxide dismutase (SOD-1) represents a detoxifying enzyme able to regulate the balance between oncogenic and oncosuppressor reactive oxygen species.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed SOD-1 expression in 126 NAF samples collected from 67 women with and 59 without breast cancer, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunoprecipitation, Western blotting, and immunocytochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SOD-1 median values in plasma presented no difference between the no-cancer and cancer subgroups. No significant difference in the median level of SOD-1 between matched plasma and NAF from cancer patients was found, whereas SOD-1 median level in no-cancer NAF was significantly higher when compared with matched plasma. Finally, the SOD-1 median value in no-cancer NAF was significantly higher (about 2-fold) than in cancer NAF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NAF measurement of SOD-1 is a useful tool to identify intracellular redox status of the breast microenvironment, mirroring the oxidative metabolic pathways occurring in breast tissue, both in physiologic and cancer conditions and in improving the identification of women at increased breast cancer risk. SOD-1 activity in the breast microenvironment may represent a functional "switch" between the detrimental/oncogenic properties and the oncosuppressor/proapoptotic role of this antioxidant enzyme.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University "Carlo Bo", Urbino, Italy. ferdinando.mannello@uniurb.it
authors.forename: Ferdinando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mannello
authors.forename: Gaetana A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Tonti
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pederzoli
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simone
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smaniotto
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Medda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D055966:Nipple Aspirate Fluid / Q000201:enzymology*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D000072105:Superoxide Dismutase-1
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C000606290:SOD1 protein, human; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D000072105:Superoxide Dismutase-1