title: IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway is activated in plasma cell mastitis.
abstract: Plasma cell mastitis (PCM), a particular type of mastitis, mainly occurs in females at nonpregnant and nonlactating stages. The infiltration of abundant plasma cells and lymphocytes is the hallmark of the disease. The incidence rate of PCM increased gradually and its pathogenesis remained unclear. In this study, we investigated the expression of IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway, which is vital not only for the differentiation of plasma cells but also for survival of plasma cells and T lymphocytes, in 30 PCM cases, 10 acute mastitis cases and 10 normal breast tissues by immunohistochemical analysis. IL-6 level was significantly higher in PCM patients than in acute mastitis patients or normal group. The positive rate of IL-6 and p-STAT3 staining in PCM samples was 93.3% (28/30) and 70% (21/30), respectively, and there was a significant positive association between IL-6 and p-STAT3 staining (r=0.408, P=0.025). In PCM group, the rate of nipple retraction was 40% (12/30). Significantly higher IL-6 expression was found in PCM patients with nipple retraction than in other PCM patients. However, no significant difference in IL-6 or p-STAT3 staining was detected between PCM patients experiencing recurrence and other PCM patients. In addition, Bcl-2 level was higher in PCM patients than in acute mastitis patients or normal group, but there was no difference in Bcl-2 immunostaining between PCM patients experiencing recurrence and other PCM patients. These indicate that IL-6/STAT3 signaling is activated in PCM and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of PCM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Na
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Jiang
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Shui-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Translational Medical Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Pei-Jun
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Jun
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008413:Mastitis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: C508600:IL6 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494086:STAT3 protein, human
keywords: IL-6; Plasma cell mastitis; STAT3; immunohistochemistry