pregnancy-related protein prevents estrogen-stimulated breast cancer in rats

Snippet of Pregnancy-Associated Protein Prevents Breast Cancer in Rats
Parikh et al.
Page 8512
Pregnancy is associated with reduced breast cancer risk. Parikh et al. report that a small peptide (AFPep), which mimics the active site of a naturally occurring, pregnancy-associated molecule (?-fetoprotein), prevents breast cancer in rats and blocks estrogen-stimulated human breast cancer xenograft growth in SCID mice. No host toxicity was found in animals treated with AFPep. Mechanistic studies showed that AFPep interfered with estrogen-dependent breast cancer growth, inhibited phosphorylation of the estrogen receptor, and activated phosphorylation of p53. They conclude that AFPep is a well-tolerated, mechanistically novel, chemopreventive agent in models of breast cancer and warrants further development for prevention and treatment of this disease in humans.
From Dec 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research