title: Metallothionein 2A expression and its relation to different clinical stages and grades of breast cancer in Egyptian patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relation of blood MT-2A expression, serum zinc, copper, Cu/Zn ratio, total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS) and oxidant status index (OSI) with benign and malignant breast tumors, also, their relation to different clinical stages and grades of breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Unrelated 199 female patients with breast tumor and 120 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Metallothionein-2A (MT-2A) expression was assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Serum MT-2A levels were measured by ELISA. Serum copper (Cu) and Zinc (Zn) concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Serum TOS and TAS levels were measured colorimetrically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our study demonstrated that blood metallothionein-2A mRNA level, serum MT-2A, copper, Cu/Zn ratio, total oxidant status and oxidant status index were significantly increased, while, serum zinc level and total antioxidant status were significantly decreased in patients with breast cancer and benign breast disease as compared to controls and in breast cancer group as compared to the benign one.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Blood metallothionein-2A expression and serum MT-2A levels could be important prognostic indices of less differentiated, more aggressive breast cancer phenotype. Disturbance of copper, zinc and oxidative stress status might contribute to the pathogenesis of breast tumor and could be useful biomarkers for diagnosing and monitoring such disease.
authors.affiliation: Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt. Electronic address: nonnarezk@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Noha A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Rezk
authors.affiliation: Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
authors.forename: Haidy E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Zidan
authors.affiliation: Surgery Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riad
authors.affiliation: Surgery Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
authors.forename: Wael
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mansy
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
authors.forename: Samya A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mohamad
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002151:Calorimetry; D003300:Copper / Q000097:blood; D004534:Egypt; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016877:Oxidants / Q000097:blood; D010641:Phenotype; D011379:Prognosis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C491053:MT2A protein, human; D016877:Oxidants; D003300:Copper; D008668:Metallothionein; D015032:Zinc
keywords: Breast cancer; Copper; Metallothionein; TAS; TOS and OSI; Zinc