Effect of Breast Milk Calcium and Fluidity on Breast Cancer Cells: An In Vitro Cell Culture Study.
The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of calcium at the same concentration as that found in human milk on the viability, proliferation, and adhesion of MCF-7 human breast ductal carcinoma cells by exposing them to calcium at the same frequency as in breastfeeding.



High-concentration calcium was applied for 30 minutes every 4 hours for 24, 48, and 72 hours. Cell proliferation and viability were measured using a hemocytometer and the MTT cell viability assay. The effects of calcium treatment were evaluated by a comparison among a multiple-, single-dose calcium treatment, and a control group.



We show that calcium at the same concentration as that in milk caused a decrease in the number of cells but did not affect cell viability.



The results of this study suggest that calcium caused a lowering of the number of cells from the luminal surface of the breast by triggering proliferation under the condition of fluidity. Calcium and fluidity together serve to eliminate breast cancer stem cells during the lactation period. Effects of the other components of milk can be analyzed by the new method developed in this study.
1 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Abant Izzet Baysal University , Bolu, Turkey .
Recep
R
Bayram
1 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Abant Izzet Baysal University , Bolu, Turkey .
Muhsine Zeynep
MZ
Yavuz
2 Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Abant Izzet Baysal University , Bolu, Turkey .
Bedri Selim
BS
Benek
3 Gen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , Ankara, Turkey .
Ayşenur
A
Aydoğar Bozkurt
3 Gen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , Ankara, Turkey .
Ali
A
Ucbek
4 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University , Istanbul, Turkey .
Zeynep Güneş
ZG
Özünal
1 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Abant Izzet Baysal University , Bolu, Turkey .
Akçahan
A
Gepdiremen
D001940:Breast / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D011247:Pregnancy
D002118:Calcium
MCF-7 cells; breastfeeding; calcium; cancer prevention; cell culture; fluidity