Experimental and Clinical Physiopathology Research Group, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Experimental and Health Sciences, University of Jaén, E-23071 Jaén, Spain.
Breast. 2011 Oct;20(5):444-7. doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2011.04.008. Epub 2011 May 18.
Angiotensin peptides regulate vascular tone and natriohydric balance through the renin angiotensin system (RAS) and are related with the angiogenesis which plays an important role in the metastatic pathway. Estrogen influences the aminopeptidases (APs) involved in the metabolism of bioactive peptides of RAS through several pathways. We analyze RAS-regulating AP activities in serum of pre- and postmenopausal women with breast cancer to evaluate the putative value of these activities as biological markers of the development of breast cancer. We observed an increase in aminopeptidase N (APN) and aminopeptidase B (APB) activities in women with breast cancer; however, a decrease in aspartyl-aminopeptidase (AspAP) activity in premenopausal women. These results suggest a slow metabolism of angiotensin II (Ang II) to angiotensin III (Ang III) in premenopausal women and a rapid metabolism of Ang III to angiotensin IV (Ang IV) in pre- and postmenopausal women with breast cancer. An imbalance in the signals activated by Ang II may produce abnormal vascular growth with different response between pre- and postmenopausal women depending on the hormonal profile and the development of the disease.
血管紧张肽通过肾素血管紧张素系统 (RAS) 调节血管张力和利钠平衡，与在转移途径中起重要作用的血管生成有关。雌激素通过多种途径影响 RAS 生物活性肽代谢中的氨肽酶 (APs)。我们分析了绝经前和绝经后乳腺癌妇女血清中的 RAS 调节 AP 活性，以评估这些活性作为乳腺癌发展的生物学标志物的潜在价值。我们观察到乳腺癌妇女的氨基肽酶 N (APN) 和氨基肽酶 B (APB) 活性增加；然而，绝经前妇女的天冬氨酰氨基肽酶 (AspAP) 活性下降。这些结果表明，绝经前妇女的血管紧张素 II (Ang II) 向血管紧张素 III (Ang III) 的代谢缓慢，而绝经前和绝经后乳腺癌妇女的 Ang III 向血管紧张素 IV (Ang IV) 的代谢迅速。Ang II 激活的信号失衡可能导致异常的血管生长，绝经前和绝经后妇女的反应不同，这取决于激素谱和疾病的发展。
