Down regulation of C1q tumor necrosis factor-related protein 6 is associated with increased risk of breast cancer

Samia F Hamed; Nivin A Hassan; Samia A Shouman; Tohamy A Tohamy; Hussein Fakhry; Eman Radwan

doi:10.1016/j.abb.2024.110039

Down regulation of C1q tumor necrosis factor-related protein 6 is associated with increased risk of breast cancer

Arch Biochem Biophys. 2024 May 24:757:110039. doi: 10.1016/j.abb.2024.110039. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Samia F Hamed¹, Nivin A Hassan², Samia A Shouman³, Tohamy A Tohamy⁴, Hussein Fakhry⁵, Eman Radwan⁶

Affiliations

¹ Cancer Biology Department, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
² Cancer Biology Department (Pharmacology and Experimental Oncology), South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
³ Cancer Biology Department, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁴ Medical Research Center, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
⁵ Surgical Oncology Department, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
⁶ Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt; Biochemistry Department, Sphinx University, New Assiut City, Assiut, Egypt. Electronic address: emanradwan@aun.edu.eg.

PMID: 38750921
DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2024.110039

Abstract

C1q tumor necrosis factor-related protein 6 (CTRP6), a member of the C1q tumor necrosis factor-related protein (CTRP) family, is reported to be associated with the progression of different malignancies, however, its expression levels and role in breast cancer (BC) are yet unknown. In this study, we investigated the levels of circulating CTRP6 in BC patients and evaluated its role as a potential diagnostic biomarker in BC patients. Then we investigated the effect of recombinant CTRP6 on cellular viability in MCF-7 cells along with its effects on the expression of inflammatory cytokines, interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in addition to the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as a marker of angiogenesis. Our results showed decreased expression of circulating CTRP6 in BC patients with an inverse correlation between CTRP6 and IL-6, TNF-α and VEGF levels. Besides, Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that the assessment of CTRP6 levels could be used to predict BC. Moreover, treatment of MCF-7 cells with recombinant CTRP6 protein reduced cellular viability and decreased IL-6, TNF-α and VEGF expression. In conclusion, these results provide new insights into the role of CTRP6 in BC pathogenesis and suggest its potential use as a novel diagnostic biomarker of BC.

Keywords: Angiogenesis; Biomarker; Breast cancer; CTRP6; Inflammation; MCF-7.