Dietary patterns in association with the expression of pro-metastatic genes in primary breast cancer

• Published in: European journal of nutrition Vol. 61; no. 6; pp. 3267 - 3284
• Main Authors: Foroutan-Ghaznavi, Mitra, Mazloomi, Seyed-Mohammad, Montazeri, Vahid, Pirouzpanah, Saeed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.09.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Beverages; Breast cancer; Cell junctions; Cereals; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Epithelial cells; Legumes; Metastases; Metastasis; Nutrition; Original Contribution; Pathogenesis; Principal components analysis; Reverse transcription; Rho-associated kinase; RhoA protein; Risk factors; Seafood; Seeds; Spices; Cortactin; Breast cancer; Metastasis; Dietary pattern; ROCK; RhoA
• ISSN: 1436-6207; 1436-6215
• DOI: 10.1007/s00394-022-02884-1

Purpose Metastasis is a major leading cause of mortality in female breast cancer (BrCa). Cellular motility is a pathological process of metastasis remarked by the overexpression of cortactin ( CTTN ), Ras homolog family member-A (RhoA ), and Rho-associated kinase ( ROCK ) genes. Their balance is responsible for upholding the integrity of healthy epithelial cell junctions. This study aimed to explore the associations between a posteriori dietary patterns and the expression levels of pro-metastatic genes in primary BrCa. Methods In this consecutive case series, 215 eligible women, newly diagnosed with histologically confirmed non-metastatic BrCa (stage I-IIIA), were recruited from Hospitals in Tabriz, Northwestern Iran (2015–2017). The tumoral expression levels of genes were quantified using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Dietary data assessment was carried out using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Results Three dietary patterns were identified using principal component analysis (KMO = 0.699). Adherence to the “vegan” pattern (vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains) was inversely associated with the expression levels of RhoA (OR Adj.T3vs.T1  = 0.24, 95%CI 0.07–0.79) and ROCK (OR Adj.T3vs.T1  = 0.26, 95%CI 0.08–0.87). In addition, the highest adherence to the “prudent” pattern (spices, seafood, dairy, and vegetable oils) decreased the odds of overexpressions at RhoA (OR Adj.T3vs.T1  = 0.26, 95%CI 0.08–0.84) and ROCK genes (OR Adj.T3vs.T1  = 0.29, 95%CI 0.09–0.95). The highest adherence to “Western” pattern (meat, processed meat, hydrogenated fat, fast food, refined cereals, sweets, and soft drinks) was a risk factor associated with the overexpression of RhoA (OR Adj.T3vs.T1  = 3.15, 95%CI 1.12–8.85). Conclusion Adherence to healthy dietary patterns was significantly associated with the downregulation of pro-metastatic genes . Findings provided new implications to advance the nutrigenomic knowledge to prevent the odds of over-regulations in pro-metastatic genes of the primary BrCa.