Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effect of hormones on growth rates of malignant and nonmalignant human mammary epithelia in cell culture

  • Published:
In Vitro Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

The individual effects of seven hormones on the in vitro growth rate of different classifications of human mammary epithelium were compared. Hormones used were: 17β-estradiol, estriol, progesterone, hydrocortisone, testosterone, prolactin, and growth hormone. Cell cultures included three established breast cell lines and primary monolayer cultures established form breast fluids and excised mammary tissue from 40 women and 4 men. Specimens comprised three classifications: normal, nonmalignant atypical, and malignant. Growth was quantitated in situ and expressed as population doubling time. Principal findings were: (a) estrogens, prolactin, and growth hormone stimulated growth of normal cells more frequently than growth of malignant cells, whereas testosterone and hydrocortisone stimulated growth of malignant cells more frequently than growth of normal cells; (b) cells cultured from nonmalignant atypias generally showed hormone response profiles intermediate between those of normal and malignant cells; (c) progesterone stimulated the growth of cells from malignant specimens but not the growth of cells from normal and nonmalignant atypical samples.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Vorherr, H. 1974.The Breast: Morphology, Physiology and Lactation. Academic Press, New York, pp. 1–19.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Papaioannou, A. N. 1974.The Etiology of Human Breast Cancer. Springer-Verlag, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Aspergren, K., and L. Hakansson. 1974. Human mammary carcinoma studied for hormone responsiveness in short term incubations. Acta. Chir. Scand. 140: 95–99.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Burstein, N. A., R. N. Kjellberg, J. W. Raker, and H. H. Schmider. 1971. Human carcinoma of the breastin vitro: the effect of hormones. Cancer 27: 1112–1116.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Flaxman, B. A. 1973.In vitro studies of the human mammary gland: effect of hormones on proliferation in primary cell cultures. J. Invest. Dermatol. 61: 67–71.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Gaffney, E. V., F. P. Polanowski, S. E. Blackburn, J. T. Lambiase, and R. E. Burke. 1976. Cultrues of normal human mammary cells. Cell Differ. 5: 69–81.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Mioduszerwska, O., T. Koszarowski, and C. Gorski. 1968. The influence of hormones on breast cancerin vitro in relation to the clinical course of disease. In: A. P. M. Forrest and P. B. Kunkler (Eds.),Prognostic Factors in Breast Cancer, Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, pp. 347–353.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Riley, P. A., T. Latter, and P. M. Sutton. 1973. Hormone assays on breast tumor culture. Lancet II: 818–820.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Yamamoto, Y.. 1969. A simplified method for determination of hormones responsible for breast cancer. Gan. 60: 23–31.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Buehring, G. C.. 1972. Culture of human mammary epithelial cells: keeping abreast with a new method. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 49: 1433–1434.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Lasfargues, E. Y., and L. Ozzello. 1958. Cultivation of human breast carcinoma. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 21: 1131–1147.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Papanicolaou, G. N. 1942. New procedure for staining vaginal smears. Science 95: 435–439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Buehring, G. C., and A. J. Hackett. 1974. Human breast tumor cell lines: identity evaluation by ultrastructure. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 53: 621–629.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Hackett, A. J., H. S. Smith, E. L. Springer, R. B. Owens, W. A. Nelson-Rees, J. Riggs, and M. Gardner. 1977. Two syngeneic cell lines from human breast tissue: one aneuploid mammary epithelial (Hs 578T), one diploid myoepithelial (Hs 578BsT). J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 58: 1795–1806.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Soule, H. D., J. Vasques, A. S. Long, S. Albert, and M. Brennan. 1973. Human cell line from a pleural effusion derived from a breast carcinoma. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 51: 1409–1413.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Wittliff, J. L. 1975. Steroid-binding proteins in normal and neoplastic mammary cells. In: H. Busch (Ed.)Methods in Cancer Research, Vol. II. Academic Press, New York, pp. 293–345.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Buehring, G. C., and R. R. Williams. 1976. Growth rates of normal and abnormal human mammary epithelial in cell cultures. Cancer Res. 36: 3742–3747.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Martinez-Lopez, G., and L. M. Black. 1973. A simple and accurate method for the measurement of growth of cell monolayers. In Vitro 9: 1–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Gold, J. J. 1975.Gynecologic Endocrinology Harper and Row, New York, pp. 647–659.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Cecil, R., and G. B. Robinson. 1975. The “specific” binding of insulin to polythene and other materials. Biochem. Biophys. Acta 404: 164–168.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Baulieu, E. E., J. P. Raynaud, and E. Milgrom. 1970. Measurement of steroid binding proteins. In: E. Diczfalusy (Ed.)Karolinska Symposia on Research Methods in Reproductive Endocrinology. Second Symposium. Bogtrykkeriet Forum, Copenhagen, pp. 104–121.

  22. Esber, H. J., J. I. Payne, and A. E. Bogden. 1973. Variability of hormone concentrations and ratios in commercial sera used for tissue culture. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 50: 559–562.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Dilley, W. G., and S. J. Kister. 1975.In vitro stimulation of human breast tissue by human prolactin. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 55: 35–36.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Welsch, C. W., and M. J. McManus. 1977. stimulation of DNA synthesis by human placental lactogen or insulin in organ cultures of benign human breast tumors. Cancer Res. 37: 2257–2261.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Russo, J., P. Furmanski, and M. A. Rich. 1975. An ultrastructural study of normal human mammary epithelial cells in culture. Am. J. Anat. 142: 221–231.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Peterson, J., G. C. Buehring, J. Taylor-Papadimitriou, and R. Ceriani. 1978. Human mammary epithelial (HME) antigens in primary cultures of normal and abnormal breast tissue. Int. J. Cytol. 22: 655–661.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Ceriani, R. L., G. P. Contesso, and B. M. Nataf. 1972. Hormone requirement for growth and differentiation of the human mammary gland in organ culture. Cancer Res. 32: 2190–2196.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Finkelstein, M., A. Geier, H. Horn, I. S. Levij, and P. Ever-Hadani. 1975. Effect of testosterone and estradiol-17β on synthesis of DNA, RNA and protein in human breast in organ culture. Int. J. Cancer 15: 78–90.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Gaffney, E. V., and D. Pigott. 1978. Hydrocortisone stimulation of human mammary epithelial cells. In Vitro 14: 621–624.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Aspergren, K.. 1976. Hormone effects on human mammary cancer in organ cultures. Am. J. Surg. 131: 575–580.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Huggins, C., and N. C. Yang. 1962. Induction and extinction of mammary cancer. Science 137: 257–262.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Poel, W. E. 1968. Progesterone enhancement of mammary development as a model of co-carcinogenesis. Brit. J. Cancer 22: 867–873.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Fowler, E. H., T. Vaughan, F. Gotcsik, P. Reichart, and C. Reed. 1977. Pathologic changes in mammary glands and uteri from beagle bitches receiving low levels of medroxyprogesterone acetate: an overview of research in progress, In: S. Garittini and H. W. Berendes (Eds.),Pharmacology of Steroid Contraceptive Drugs. Raven Press, New York, pp. 185–210.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Yanai, R., and H. Nagasawa. 1977. Effect of progesterone and estrogen on DNA synthesis of pregnancy dependent mammary tumors in GR/A mice. Eur. J. Cancer 13: 813–816.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Smethurst, M., T. K. Basu, and D. C. Williams. 1975. Levels of cholesterol 11-hydroxycorticosteroids and progesterone in plasma from postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Eur. J. Cancer 11: 751–755.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Horwitz, K. B., W. L. McGuire, O. H. Pearson, and A. Segaloff. 1975. Predicting response to endocrine therapy in human breast cancer: a hypothesis. Science 189: 726–727.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Soule, H. D., and C. M. McGrath. 1978. Estrogen responsive proliferation of clonal human breast carcinoma cells in athymic mice.Proc. Eleventh Meeting on Mammary Cancer in Experimental Animals and Man. Comprehensive Cancer Center of Metropolitan Detroit. Detroit, Michigan, p. 120.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Horwitz, K. B., D. T. Zava, K. T. Arulasanam, E. M. Jensen, and W. L. McGuire. 1978. Steroid receptor analysis of nine human breast cancer cell lines. Cancer Res. 38: 2434–2437.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical and Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, 94720, Berkeley, California

    Paula Klevjer-Anderson & Gertrude Case Buehring

Authors
  1. Paula Klevjer-Anderson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gertrude Case Buehring
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

This research was supported by NIAID Research Training Grant 5-TO1-A1-00332-06.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Klevjer-Anderson, P., Buehring, G.C. Effect of hormones on growth rates of malignant and nonmalignant human mammary epithelia in cell culture. In Vitro 16, 491–501 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02626462

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02626462

Key words

Search

Navigation