<http://purl.org/dc/terms/description>
"Connexin proteins form gap junctions permitting direct intercellular cytoplasmic\r\nexchange. Gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) is important for\r\nmaintaining homeostasis and preventing cell transformation. Connexins may also have\r\nindependent functions including tumor growth suppression. Most tumors express less\r\nconnexins, have reduced GJIC, and have increased growth rates compared to\r\nnontumorigenic cells. Asian females, who consume foods rich in flavonoids have a 4 to\r\n6-fold reduction in breast cancer incidence. The purpose of this study was to determine if\r\ncommon flavonoids, genistein and quercetin, increase connexin43 (Cx43), improve GJIC,\r\nand retard growth of metastatic human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231). Results\r\ndemonstrated that genistein and quercetin are potential anti-breast cancer agents.\r\nAlthough flavonoid treatment did not improve GJIC, genistein (2.5 ug/ml, 5 ug/ml,\r\n15 ug/ml) and quercetin (2.5 |J.g/ml, 5 |a.g/ml) increased Cx43 protein and suppressed\r\nMDA-MB-231 cell proliferation at concentrations which were not toxic to\r\nnontumorigenic breast cancer cells.\r\nReliable prognostic indicators of breast cancer include axillary nodal status, tumor\r\nsize and histological grade. Additionally, estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor\r\n(ER/PR) status, and Ki67, an indicator of proliferative activity, are useful for predicting\r\npatient survival and relapse. Improved prognostic methods and a search for a more\r\ncomplete understanding of cancer biology inspires the identification of new molecular\r\nmarkers. Tissue microarrays, containing over 300 cases of invasive breast carcinoma\r\nwere stained with Cx26, Cx32, and Cx43 antibodies. Connexin immunoreactivity was\r\ncorrelated with established immunohistochemical and histopathological breast cancer\r\nmarkers. Cx26, Cx32, and Cx43 did not correlate with tumor grade or tumor size. Cx32\r\n\r\ninversely correlated with lymph node status (P &lt; 0.05), and there was a positive\r\ncorrelation between Cx43 and PR status (P &lt; 0.01). Both Cx32 and Cx43 correlated\r\npositively with ER status (P &lt; 0.01), and Cx43 correlated negatively with Ki67\r\nexpression (P &lt; 0.01). Cx26, Cx32, and Cx43 did not correlate with patient outcome. In\r\nconclusion, connexin proteins did not appear to be reliable independent indicators of\r\nbreast cancer prognosis. However, Cx32 may protect against regional lymph node spread,\r\nand Cx43 may counteract aggressively proliferating breast cancer."@en
<https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/831/items/1.0091633>