Low BMI is correlated with increased TGF-β and IL-10 mRNA levels in the peripheral blood of breast cancer patients.

Abstract

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) have important roles in breast cancer development. Previous studies confirmed a correlation between these immune molecules and tumor characteristics, but their association with nutritional status in breast cancer is largely unknown. We aimed to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin, total protein, albumin, globulin (GLB), albumin/GLB ratio (AGR), pre-albumin, prognostic nutritional index, and TGF-β, IL-10, and Foxp3 mRNA expression in patients with breast cancer. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of TGF-β, IL-10, and Foxp3 in the peripheral blood of 107 patients with breast cancer and 21 healthy controls. We found that TGF-β mRNA levels were 2.6-fold, 3.2-fold, and 2.3-fold higher in patients with low BMI (<23), low AGR, and high GLB, respectively, than in their counterparts (P < 0.05). In addition, IL-10 mRNA expression levels in patients with normal BMI (<23) were 2.8-fold and 3.5-fold higher than in those who were overweight (23≤ BMI <25) and obese (BMI ≥ 25), respectively (P < 0.05). In addition, TGF-β, IL-10, and Foxp3 mRNA levels were significantly higher in patients with breast cancer than in healthy controls (P < 0.05). In summary, our results suggest that nutritional status, especially BMI, may strongly affect systematic immune function in patients with breast cancer. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 70(3):237-245, 2018.

• Authors: Chao Liu, Qian Wang, Bing Sun, Xiangying Meng, Lan Li, Liuchun Yang, Yang Cong, Jiannan Liu, Liang Xuan, Yan Huang, Shikai Wu
• Journal: IUBMB life (IUBMB Life) Vol. 70 Issue 3 Pg. 237-245 (03 2018) ISSN: 1521-6551 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 29405562 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2018 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Chemical References

• FOXP3 protein, human
• Forkhead Transcription Factors
• IL10 protein, human
• RNA, Messenger
• Transforming Growth Factor beta
• Interleukin-10

Topics

• Adult
• Body Mass Index
• Breast Neoplasms (blood, genetics, pathology)
• Female
• Forkhead Transcription Factors (blood)
• Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
• Humans
• Interleukin-10 (blood)
• Middle Aged
• Obesity (blood, complications, pathology)
• RNA, Messenger (blood)
• Transforming Growth Factor beta (blood)