Impact of Abrupt Mammary Gland Involution on Visceral Fat and its Connection to Increased Risk of Breast Cancer

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2024-05

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The Ohio State University

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Pre-menopausal African American women have higher rates and mortality from triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) than Caucasian women. Lack or short-term breastfeeding and visceral adiposity are two independent risk factors of TNBC. Following pregnancy and lactation, the mammary gland undergoes involution, the process of reverting to a near pre-pregnancy state. Prolonged breastfeeding leads to gradual involution (GI) while abrupt weaning to abrupt involution (AI). At 120 days postpartum, we observed an increase of perigonadal visceral adipose in a mouse model of abrupt involution. Epidemiological studies of women who did not breastfeed reported similar observation. Visceral adiposity is associated with systemic inflammation, metabolic syndrome, and hormonal dysregulation elevating breast cancer risk. We hypothesize that AI but not GI leads to qualitative and quantitative alteration in adipocytes of visceral depot and systemic inflammation and enhances risk for breast cancer. Our objective is to investigate and compare histological and molecular differences in visceral adipose tissue between involution groups.

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