Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Faculty of Psychology, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China.
Department of General Surgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2022 Aug;200(8):3537-3544. doi: 10.1007/s12011-021-02964-z. Epub 2021 Oct 20.
Essential trace metals (ETMs) may play important roles in the pathophysiology of benign and malignant breast cancers. Our study aimed to find associations between ETMs and benign and malignant breast cancers. We recruited 146 patients with benign (n = 73) and malignant (n = 73) breast tumors and 95 healthy controls (HCs) from Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China. The serum concentrations of seven ETMs (Zn, Mn, Cu, Fe, Co, Ni, and Mo) were evaluated using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The serum concentrations of Zn were significantly lower in the malignant group than in the HC group, whereas the concentrations of Cu (p < 0.001) were significantly higher in the malignant group. The concentrations of Fe were significantly lower in both malignant and benign groups than in the HC group (p < 0.05). We observed that the Fe/Cu ratio was lower and the Cu/Ni ratio was higher in the malignant group than in the HCs, as well as in the benign group than in the HCs. The serum concentration of Fe (OR = 0.454; 95% CI, 0.263, 0.784; p = 0.005) was negatively associated with breast tumors after adjusting for potential confounders, including age, BMI, and smoking, drinking and menopause statuses; that of Cu (OR = 2.274; 95% CI, 1.282, 4.031; p = 0.005) was positively associated. Changes in the concentrations of ETMs (Zn, Cu, Fe, and Ni) may be involved in the development of malignant breast cancer. The findings provide foundations for further exploration of ETMs in the prevention and treatment of breast tumors.
必需微量元素 (ETMs) 可能在良性和恶性乳腺癌的病理生理学中发挥重要作用。我们的研究旨在探讨 ETMs 与良性和恶性乳腺癌之间的关系。我们招募了 146 名来自中国北京北京大学第三医院的良性 (n = 73) 和恶性 (n = 73) 乳腺癌患者以及 95 名健康对照者 (HCs)。采用电感耦合等离子体质谱法 (ICP-MS) 检测 7 种 ETMs（Zn、Mn、Cu、Fe、Co、Ni 和 Mo）的血清浓度。恶性组血清 Zn 浓度显著低于 HC 组，而 Cu 浓度则显著高于恶性组 (p < 0.001)。恶性和良性组的 Fe 浓度均显著低于 HC 组 (p < 0.05)。我们观察到恶性组的 Fe/Cu 比值低于 HCs，Cu/Ni 比值高于 HCs，良性组的 Fe/Cu 比值低于 HCs，Cu/Ni 比值高于 HCs。调整年龄、BMI、吸烟、饮酒和绝经状态等潜在混杂因素后，血清 Fe 浓度 (OR = 0.454; 95%CI，0.263，0.784; p = 0.005) 与乳腺癌呈负相关，而 Cu 浓度 (OR = 2.274; 95%CI，1.282，4.031; p = 0.005) 与乳腺癌呈正相关。ETMs（Zn、Cu、Fe 和 Ni）浓度的变化可能参与了恶性乳腺癌的发生发展。这些发现为进一步探讨 ETMs 在乳腺癌的预防和治疗中的作用提供了依据。
