| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2569766 | Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology | 2010 | 8 Pages |
Phytoestrogens are plant compounds that structurally mimic the endogenous estrogen 17β-estradiol (E2). Despite intense investigation, the net effect of phytoestrogen exposure on the breast remains unclear. The objective of the current study was to examine the effects of quercetin on E2-induced breast cancer in vivo. Female ACI rats were given quercetin (2.5 g/kg food) for 8 months. Animals were monitored weekly for palpable tumors, and at the end of the experiment, rats were euthanized, breast tumor and different tissues excised so that they could be examined for histopathologic changes, estrogen metabolic activity and oxidant stress. Quercetin alone did not induce mammary tumors in female ACI rats. However, in rats implanted with E2 pellets, co-exposure to quercetin did not protect rats from E2-induced breast tumor development with 100% of the animals developing breast tumors within 8 months of treatment. No changes in serum quercetin levels were observed in quercetin and quercetin + E2-treated groups at the end of the experiment. Tumor latency was significantly decreased among rats from the quercetin + E2 group relative to those in the E2 group. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) activity was significantly downregulated in quercetin-exposed mammary tissue. Analysis of 8-isoprostane F2α (8-iso-PGF2α) levels as a marker of oxidant stress showed that quercetin did not decrease E2-induced oxidant stress. These results indicate that quercetin (2.5 g/kg food) does not confer protection against breast cancer, does not inhibit E2-induced oxidant stress and may exacerbate breast carcinogenesis in E2-treated ACI rats. Inhibition of COMT activity by quercetin may expose breast cells chronically to E2 and catechol estrogens. This would permit longer exposure times to the carcinogenic metabolites of E2 and chronic exposure to oxidant stress as a result of metabolic redox cycling to estrogen metabolites, and thus quercetin may exacerbate E2-induced breast tumors in female ACI rats.
