Microbiome-Microbial Metabolome-Cancer Cell Interactions in Breast Cancer-Familiar, but Unexplored

• Published in: Cells (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 8; no. 4; p. 293
• Main Authors: Mikó, Edit, Kovács, Tünde, Sebő, Éva, Tóth, Judit, Csonka, Tamás, Ujlaki, Gyula, Sipos, Adrienn, Szabó, Judit, Méhes, Gábor, Bai, Péter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 29.03.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Age; Amino acids; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Bile acids; Bioactive compounds; Biopsy; Biosynthesis; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - metabolism; Breast Neoplasms - microbiology; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; cadaverine; Cancer therapies; Cell Communication - drug effects; Cell interactions; Chemotherapy; Cyclin-dependent kinases; Diabetes; Drug metabolism; Dysbacteriosis; Dysbiosis - complications; estrogen deconjugation; Estrogens; Fatty acids; Female; FFAR; Humans; Intestinal microflora; Kinases; lithocholic acid; Mammography; Medical screening; Metabolism; Metabolites; Metabolome - drug effects; microbiome; Microbiomes; Microbiota - drug effects; Mitochondria; mitochondrial metabolism; OXPHOS; Review; Risk factors; secondary bile acids; Stem cells; TAAR; TGR5; Tumor microenvironment; Womens health; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; Europe; FFAR; TGR5; secondary bile acids; estrogen deconjugation; OXPHOS; TAAR; breast cancer; lithocholic acid; microbiome; cadaverine; mitochondrial metabolism
• ISSN: 2073-4409; 2073-4409
• DOI: 10.3390/cells8040293

Breast cancer is a leading cause of death among women worldwide. Dysbiosis, an aberrant composition of the microbiome, characterizes breast cancer. In this review we discuss the changes to the metabolism of breast cancer cells, as well as the composition of the breast and gut microbiome in breast cancer. The role of the breast microbiome in breast cancer is unresolved, nevertheless it seems that the gut microbiome does have a role in the pathology of the disease. The gut microbiome secretes bioactive metabolites (reactivated estrogens, short chain fatty acids, amino acid metabolites, or secondary bile acids) that modulate breast cancer. We highlight the bacterial species or taxonomical units that generate these metabolites, we show their mode of action, and discuss how the metabolites affect mitochondrial metabolism and other molecular events in breast cancer. These metabolites resemble human hormones, as they are produced in a "gland" (in this case, the microbiome) and they are subsequently transferred to distant sites of action through the circulation. These metabolites appear to be important constituents of the tumor microenvironment. Finally, we discuss how bacterial dysbiosis interferes with breast cancer treatment through interfering with chemotherapeutic drug metabolism and availability.