White Button Mushroom Phytochemicals Inhibit Aromatase Activity and Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition Vol. 131; no. 12; pp. 3288 - 3293
• Main Authors: Grube, Baiba J, Eng, Elizabeth T., Kao, Yeh-Chih, Kwon, Annette, Chen, Shiuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 01.12.2001; American Institute of Nutrition; American Society for Nutritional Sciences
• Subjects: Agaricus - chemistry; Agaricus bisporus; Anticarcinogenic Agents - pharmacology; aromatase; Aromatase - genetics; Aromatase Inhibitors; Biological and medical sciences; Breast cancer; breast neoplasms; Breast Neoplasms - chemistry; Breast Neoplasms - enzymology; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Carcinogenesis, carcinogens and anticarcinogens; Cell Division - drug effects; cell proliferation; Cells; chemoprevention; Diet; diet and cancer prevention; Enzyme Inhibitors - pharmacology; enzyme kinetics; Estrogens; flavones; Foods and miscellaneous; Gene Expression; heat stability; Humans; isoflavones; Kinetics; Medical sciences; Mushrooms; phytochemicals; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; postmenopause; Prevention; Receptors, Estrogen - analysis; Testosterone - pharmacology; Transfection; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Tumors; unspecific monooxygenase; white button mushrooms; women; cdΔFCS; ΔFCS; φ−MEM; aromatase; MEM; breast cancer; white button mushrooms; diet and cancer prevention; [1β-3H]A; ER; 4-OHA; MCF7aro; Cell proliferation; Agaricus bisporus; Vegetables; Enzyme; Mushroom; Basidiomycetes; Estrogen synthase; Malignant tumor; Feeding; Fungi; Mammary gland diseases; Diet; Plant origin; Mammary gland; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0022-3166; 1541-6100
• DOI: 10.1093/jn/131.12.3288

Estrogen is a major factor in the development of breast cancer. In situ estrogen production by aromatase/estrogen synthetase in breast cancer plays a dominant role in tumor proliferation. Because natural compounds such as flavones and isoflavones have been shown to be inhibitors of aromatase, it is thought that vegetables that contain these phytochemicals can inhibit aromatase activity and suppress breast cancer cell proliferation. Heat-stable extracts were prepared from vegetables and screened for their ability to inhibit aromatase activity in a human placental microsome assay. The white button mushroom (species Agaricus bisporus) suppressed aromatase activity dose dependently. Enzyme kinetics demonstrated mixed inhibition, suggesting the presence of multiple inhibitors or more than one inhibitory mechanism. “In cell” aromatase activity and cell proliferation were measured using MCF-7aro, an aromatase-transfected breast cancer cell line. Phytochemicals in the mushroom aqueous extract inhibited aromatase activity and proliferation of MCF-7aro cells. These results suggest that diets high in mushrooms may modulate the aromatase activity and function in chemoprevention in postmenopausal women by reducing the in situ production of estrogen.