The antidepressant desipramine and α2-adrenergic receptor activation promote breast tumor progression in association with altered collagen structure.

ABSTRACT: Emotional stress activates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and release of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine to promote breast tumor pathogenesis. We demonstrate here that the metastatic mammary adenocarcinoma cell line 4T1 does not express functional adrenergic receptors (AR), the receptors activated by norepinephrine, yet stimulation of adrenergic receptor in vivo altered 4T1 tumor progression in vivo. Chronic treatment with the antidepressant desipramine (DMI) to inhibit norepinephrine reuptake increased 4T1 tumor growth but not metastasis. Treatment with a highly selective α2-adrenergic receptor agonist, dexmedetomidine (DEX), increased tumor growth and metastasis. Neither isoproterenol (ISO), a β-AR agonist, nor phenylephrine, an α1-AR agonist, altered tumor growth or metastasis

SUBMITTER: Szpunar MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3862035 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature