Palan P R, Goldberg G L, Basu J, Runowicz C D, Romney S L
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461.
Gynecol Oncol. 1994 Oct;55(1):72-7. doi: 10.1006/gyno.1994.1250.
Free radical-induced damage is etiologically implicated in many chronic diseases including cancer. Epidemiologic data suggest an association between increased dietary intake of nutrients that are high in antioxidant vitamins and protection against the incidence of some human cancers. The purpose of this study was (a) to determine whether specific tissue antioxidants (beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol) and any differences in their levels were measurable in randomly selected human breast and gynecologic malignant neoplasms and nonneoplastic tissue samples obtained from the same patient and (b) to establish normal ranges of these two antioxidant levels in human female reproductive tract tissues. Tissue samples were excised immediately from surgical specimens and released by staff pathologists from a spectrum of human female cancers. Neoplastic and adjacent nonneoplastic tissues samples were obtained from the same patient. Normal reproductive tract tissue samples were obtained from women undergoing hysterectomy for benign gynecologic conditions. Breast carcinoma and adjacent nonmalignant tissue specimens were obtained from women undergoing mastectomy. The concentrations of beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol were measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography. In the same patient, beta-carotene levels were significantly lower in the cervical (P < 0.01) and endometrial (P < 0.005) carcinoma tissues than the levels detectable in adjacent nonneoplastic sites. In contrast, beta-carotene levels were higher in the ovarian (P < 0.05), breast (P < 0.005), and vulva (P < 0.05) carcinoma tissues. The alpha-tocopherol concentrations were significantly higher in the cancer tissues of cervix (P < 0.01) and endometrium (P < 0.001) than those in adjacent noninvolved tissue sites. The tissue concentrations of alpha-tocopherol in malignant and adjacent normal sites in breast, ovary, and vulva were comparable. For the first time, the ranges for beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol levels in the normal female reproductive tract tissues were also established. The present findings of contrasting tissue levels of the antioxidants (beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol) in breast, cervix, endometrium, ovary, and vulva cancers and in nonneoplastic tissues of the same patient suggest an organ-specific and heterogenous distribution. These antioxidants appear to be essential nutritional requirements of the human female reproductive tract and breast and are implicated in the pathophysiology and carcinogenesis of these human organs. The findings require further study of the role of these antioxidant nutrients in epithelial cell proliferation, maturation, and differentiation.
自由基诱导的损伤在包括癌症在内的许多慢性疾病的病因学中都有涉及。流行病学数据表明，饮食中抗氧化维生素含量较高的营养素摄入量增加与预防某些人类癌症的发生之间存在关联。本研究的目的是：（a）确定在从同一患者获取的随机选择的人类乳腺和妇科恶性肿瘤及非肿瘤组织样本中，是否可测量特定组织抗氧化剂（β-胡萝卜素和α-生育酚）及其水平的任何差异；（b）确定这两种抗氧化剂水平在人类女性生殖道组织中的正常范围。组织样本立即从手术标本中切除，并由一系列人类女性癌症的病理科工作人员进行处理。肿瘤组织和相邻的非肿瘤组织样本取自同一患者。正常生殖道组织样本取自因良性妇科疾病接受子宫切除术的女性。乳腺癌和相邻的非恶性组织标本取自接受乳房切除术的女性。通过高压液相色谱法测量β-胡萝卜素和α-生育酚的浓度。在同一患者中，宫颈癌（P < 0.01）和子宫内膜癌（P < 0.005）组织中的β-胡萝卜素水平显著低于相邻非肿瘤部位可检测到的水平。相比之下，卵巢癌（P < 0.05）、乳腺癌（P < 0.005）和外阴癌（P < 0.05）组织中的β-胡萝卜素水平较高。宫颈癌（P < 0.01）和子宫内膜癌（P < 0.001）组织中的α-生育酚浓度显著高于相邻未受累组织部位。乳腺、卵巢和外阴的恶性及相邻正常部位的α-生育酚组织浓度相当。首次还确定了正常女性生殖道组织中β-胡萝卜素和α-生育酚水平的范围。目前关于同一患者的乳腺癌、宫颈癌、子宫内膜癌、卵巢癌和外阴癌以及非肿瘤组织中抗氧化剂（β-胡萝卜素和α-生育酚）组织水平对比的研究结果表明存在器官特异性和异质性分布。这些抗氧化剂似乎是人类女性生殖道和乳腺必需的营养需求，并与这些人体器官的病理生理学和致癌作用有关。这些发现需要进一步研究这些抗氧化营养素在上皮细胞增殖、成熟和分化中的作用。
