scholarly journals Mammary gland adipocytes in lactation cycle, obesity and breast cancer

Author(s):  
Georgia Colleluori ◽  
Jessica Perugini ◽  
Giorgio Barbatelli ◽  
Saverio Cinti

AbstractThe mammary gland (MG) is an exocrine gland present in female mammals responsible for the production and secretion of milk during the process of lactation. It is mainly composed by epithelial cells and adipocytes. Among the features that make the MG unique there are 1) its highly plastic properties displayed during pregnancy, lactation and involution (all steps belonging to the lactation cycle) and 2) its requirement to grow in close association with adipocytes which are absolutely necessary to ensure MG’s proper development at puberty and remodeling during the lactation cycle. Although MG adipocytes play such a critical role for the gland development, most of the studies have focused on its epithelial component only, leaving the role of the neighboring adipocytes largely unexplored. In this review we aim to describe evidences regarding MG’s adipocytes role and properties in physiologic conditions (gland development and lactation cycle), obesity and breast cancer, emphasizing the existing gaps in the literature which deserve further investigation.

2000 ◽  
pp. 257-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Kumar ◽  
R K Vadlamudi ◽  
L Adam

Homeostasis in normal tissue is regulated by a balance between proliferative activity and cell loss by apoptosis. Apoptosis is a physiological mechanism of cell loss that depends on both pre-existing proteins and de novo protein synthesis, and the process of apoptosis is integral to normal mammary gland development and in many diseases, including breast cancer. The mammary gland is one of the few organ systems in mammals that completes its morphologic development postnatally during two discrete physiologic states, puberty and pregnancy. The susceptibility of the mammary gland to tumorigenesis is influenced by its normal development, particularly during stages of puberty and pregnancy that are characterized by marked alterations in breast cell proliferation and differentiation. Numerous epidemiologic studies have suggested that specific details in the development of the mammary gland play a critical role in breast cancer risk. Mammary gland development is characterized by dynamic changes in the expression profiles of Bcl-2 family members. The expression of Bcl-2 family proteins in breast cancer is also influenced by estradiol and by progestin. Since the ratio of proapoptotic to antiapoptotic proteins determines apoptosis or cell survival, hormone levels may have important implications in the therapeutic prevention of breast cancer.


2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 699-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Breanne M. Anderson ◽  
Mira B. MacLennan ◽  
Lyn M. Hillyer ◽  
David W.L. Ma

There is growing evidence that early developmental periods may importantly influence future breast cancer risk. Also, there is great interest in the role of dietary fat in breast cancer risk, but the role of dietary fat during pubertal mammary gland development remains poorly understood. This study investigated the effect of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) using complementary dietary and genetic approaches to examine the effect of lifelong exposure of n-3 PUFA or n-6 PUFA (control) on mammary gland development and fatty acid composition. n-3 PUFA from both diet and genetics were enriched in mammary glands as early as 3 weeks of age. Parameters related to mammary gland development, including number of terminal end buds (TEB), percent coverage of ductal tree, and infiltration of TEB, were influenced by n-3 PUFA at 3 and 4 weeks of age. Overall, findings suggest that n-3 PUFA incorporation into the mammary gland early in life plays a role in the morphological development of the mammary gland during puberty.


2011 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 472-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Cellurale ◽  
Nomeda Girnius ◽  
Feng Jiang ◽  
Julie Cavanagh-Kyros ◽  
Shaolei Lu ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serena Mao ◽  
Minji Park ◽  
Ramon Cabrera ◽  
John Christin ◽  
George Karagiannis ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Visbal ◽  
A. Visbal ◽  
H. Villanueva ◽  
H. Villanueva ◽  
J. Rosen ◽  
...  

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