The Pharmacological Pathways of GnRH Mediating the Inhibition of Mammary Tumours: Implications in Humans and Domestic Animals

The Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) exists in two isoforms, GnRH-I and GnRH-II, in most vertebrates, including humans. Both of these isoforms and their respective receptors have been found in many healthy and pathologic extra nervous system tissues, such as cells found in cancers of the reproductive systems and, in particular, in breast cancer. GnRH analogues are used as therapeutic agents in the case of sex-hormone-dependent tumours. Besides acting as suppressors of steroidogenesis, GnRH analogues seem to interfere with mitogenic signal transduction pathways, thus behaving as negative regulators of tumour growth and progression. GnRH analogues counteract the proliferating effects of both epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin like growth factor (IGF-I); additionally, it affects the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade and modulates the activity of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)/plasminogen activator inhibitory (PAI) system, which is involved in the process of metastasis. In addition, GnRH analogues decrease the expression of many growth factors involved in the development of human uterine myomas (as well as endometriotic tissue), such as the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is deeply implied in the angiogenesis of many benign and malignant tumours, including breast cancer. Angiogenesis is one of the primary processes leading to the progression and metastasis of breast cancer cells, and a key therapeutic goal in the fight against tumours is the blocking of new vessel sprouts. Given these premises, this review provides an update on the background of anti-neoplastic properties of GnRH analogues..