title: HCG hastens both the development of mammary carcinoma and the metastatization of HCG/LH and ERBB-2 receptor-positive cells in mice.
abstract: Breast cancer is more frequent in human nulliparae, whereas its incidence is reduced by early fullterm pregnancy. Rodent studies suggest that chorionic gonadotropin secretion during pregnancy affords protection by inducing breast structure differentiation. Opposite effects, however, have been observed in cancer prone transgenic mice overexpressing the β subunit of chorionic gonadotropin or pituitary luteinic hormone (LH). Here we assessed the effect of administration of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) for 21 days (corresponding to the duration of a mouse pregnancy) in virgin female mice transgenic for the activated rat (r-) ERBB-2 oncogene (BALB-neuT). In these mice, the onset of atypical mammary duct hyperplasia and its progression towards multiple mammary carcinomas is accelerated by hCG. hCG enhances the in vitro proliferation and in vivo metastatization of tumor cells from a BALB-neuT mammary tumor expressing the hCG/LH as well as the ERBB-2 receptors. These findings suggest that hCG favours the growth and progression of hCG/LH and ERBB-2 receptor-positive breast tumors.
authors: Aging Research Center, G. d'Annunzio University Foundation, Chieti, Italy. m.iezzi@unich.it
authors: Manuela
authors: M
authors: Iezzi
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Quaglino
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Cappello
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Toto
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Sabatini
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Curcio
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Garotta
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Musiani
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Cavallo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010052:Ovariectomy; D010053:Ovary / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles; C022616:thiazolyl blue