Influence of the ERK/CHGB pathway in breast cancer progression under chronic stress
- Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2025 Feb:179:106733. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2024.106733.
- 1. Oncology Department, People's Hospital of Yuxi City, Yuxi, Yunnan, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
- 2. Clinical psychology department, People's Hospital of Yuxi City, Yuxi, Yunnan, China.
- 3. Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.
- 4. Pathology Department, People's Hospital of Yuxi City, Yuxi, Yunnan, China.
- 5. Oncology Department, Yan 'an Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Background: Breast Cancer is one of the most common malignancies among women, and its development involves a variety of complex molecular mechanisms. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and Chromogranin B (CHGB) are known to play key roles in various cancers. This study aims to explore the impact of the ERK/CHGB pathway in a chronic stress environment simulated by salbutamol on the development of breast Cancer.
Methods: This study utilized female BALB/c mice to establish a breast Cancer model, dividing them into control, salbutamol-treated, and salbutamol-inhibitor-treated groups. Cell Culture, immunohistochemistry, Western Blot, real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR, and Transwell migration assays were employed to assess the effects of salbutamol and the ERK/CHGB pathway.
Results: Salbutamol treatment significantly enhanced the proliferation, migration, and invasiveness of breast Cancer cells, associated with the activation of the ERK pathway and the inhibition of CHGB. The salbutamol-inhibitor-treated group exhibited a marked suppression of these effects. Additionally, the interaction of the ERK/CHGB pathway in an extracellular stress environment provided advantages for the survival and proliferation of breast Cancer cells.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that a chronic stress environment simulated by salbutamol can promote malignant behaviors in breast Cancer cells through the ERK/CHGB pathway. These findings offer new molecular targets for breast Cancer treatment and highlight the potential importance of managing chronic stress and blocking specific molecular pathways in Cancer therapy.