Stress-related hormone reduces autophagy through the regulation of phosphatidylethanolamine in breast cancer cells.

Background: An increasing number of studies indicate that adrenergic signaling plays a fundamental role in tumor progression and metastasis induced by chronic stress. However, despite the growing attention, an understanding of the mechanisms linking chronic stress and cancer is still insufficient.

Methods: Western blot analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to observe the changes in autophagy level in a breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) after epinephrine treatment. Non-targeted metabolomics was also used to detect MCF-7 metabolites after epinephrine treatment. The xenograft model was used to detect the level of autophagy after epinephrine intervention.

Results: The results showed that epinephrine treatment reduced the autophagy level of breast cancer cells. Epinephrine changed the level of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in breast cancer cells as detected by non-targeted metabolomics. Epinephrine also changed autophagy in breast cancer cells by decreasing the level of PE in cells. When autophagy decreased, the invasion and migration of breast cancer cells increased , and the progression of breast cancer accelerated .

Conclusions: These findings suggest that stress-related hormones affect the tumor progression of breast cancer. Therefore, strengthening the emotional management strategies of patients during the process of antitumor treatment as a supplement to the existing treatments may be beneficial.