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Melatonin, environmental light, and breast cancer

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Abstract

Although many factors have been suggested as causes for breast cancer, the increased incidence of the disease seen in women working in night shifts led to the hypothesis that the suppression of melatonin by light or melatonin deficiency plays a major role in cancer development. Studies on the 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene and N-methyl-N-nitrosourea experimental models of human breast cancer indicate that melatonin is effective in reducing cancer development. In vitro studies in MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line have shown that melatonin exerts its anticarcinogenic actions through a variety of mechanisms, and that it is most effective in estrogen receptor (ER) α-positive breast cancer cells. Melatonin suppresses ER gene, modulates several estrogen dependent regulatory proteins and pro-oncogenes, inhibits cell proliferation, and impairs the metastatic capacity of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. The anticarcinogenic action on MCF-7 cells has been demonstrated at the physiological concentrations of melatonin attained at night, suggesting thereby that melatonin acts like an endogenous antiestrogen. Melatonin also decreases the formation of estrogens from androgens via aromatase inhibition. Circulating melatonin levels are abnormally low in ER-positive breast cancer patients thereby supporting the melatonin hypothesis for breast cancer in shift working women. It has been postulated that enhanced endogenous melatonin secretion is responsible for the beneficial effects of meditation as a form of psychosocial intervention that helps breast cancer patients.

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Acknowledgments

One of the authors (V. Srinivasan) wishes to express their thanks to Mrs. Rosnida Said of the Department of Physiology, University Sains Malaysia, for her secretarial and technical assistance in preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, University Sains Malaysia, Kubang kerian, Kelantan, 16150, Malaysia

    V. Srinivasan

  2. Sleep and Neuropsychiatry Institute, 4235 Sheppard Avenue East, Suite 208, Scarborough, ON, Canada, M1S 1T7

    D. W. Spence

  3. Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street–Rm # BB813, New York, 10032, USA

    S. R. Pandi-Perumal & I. Trakht

  4. Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular III, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, 28040, Spain

    A. I. Esquifino

  5. Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 1121, Argentina

    D. P. Cardinali

  6. Center for Experimental Pathology, Cantonal Institute of Pathology, Via In Selva 24, P.O. Box 6601, Locarno, Switzerland

    G. J. Maestroni

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  1. V. Srinivasan
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  2. D. W. Spence
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  3. S. R. Pandi-Perumal
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  7. G. J. Maestroni
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Correspondence to G. J. Maestroni.

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Srinivasan, V., Spence, D.W., Pandi-Perumal, S.R. et al. Melatonin, environmental light, and breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 108, 339–350 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-007-9617-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-007-9617-5

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