Serum polyamines in pre- and post-operative patients with breast cancer corrected by menopausal status

Polyamines are essential for cell growth and differentiation of cells and its increased production is observed in many cancers. Due to one of key enzymes in polyamine synthesis ornithine decarboxylase is stimulated by estrogens in breast cancer cells, the polyamine levels in serum samples obtained from patients with breast cancer (BCa; pre-menopause: 45.6 ± 0.8 years old, n = 58; post-menopause: 55.2 ± 1.1 years old; n = 11), who were also classified as pre- and post-surgery, and from normal controls (pre-menopause: ages 43.6 ± 0.9 years, n = 45, post-menopause: ages 55.2 ± 1.0 years, n = 18) were determined by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. In pre-menopausal patients, the concentrations of 1,3-diaminopropane, N-acetyl putrescine (N-actPut), N-acetyl spermidine and spermidine (Sp) were higher (p < 0.05) in pre-surgery breast cancer patients than in normal controls, with N-actPut (p < 0.0005) and Sp (p < 0.005) levels markedly increased. All polyamine levels were slightly decreased post-surgery, and were comparable to levels in normal subjects. Based on menopausal-dependent data, the results imply that serum polyamines levels may correlate with estrogen levels in association with estrogen-induced cell growth and ornithine decarboxylase activity.