Stress-related hormone reduces autophagy through the regulation of phosphatidylethanolamine in breast cancer cells.

Background An increasing number of studies indicate that adrenergic signaling plays a fundamental role in tumor progression and metastasis induced by chronic stress. However, despite the growing attention, an understanding of the mechanisms linking chronic stress and cancer is still insufficient. Methods Western blot analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to observe the changes in autophagy level in a breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) after epinephrine treatment. Non-targeted metabolomics was also used to detect MCF-7 metabolites after epinephrine treatment. The xenograft model was used to detect the level of autophagy after epinephrine intervention. Results The results showed that epinephrine treatment reduced the autophagy level of breast cancer cells. Epinephrine changed the level of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in breast cancer cells as detected by non-targeted metabolomics. Epinephrine also changed autophagy in breast cancer cells by decreasing the level of PE in cells. When autophagy decreased, the invasion and migration of breast cancer cells increased in vitro, and the progression of breast cancer accelerated in vivo. Conclusions These findings suggest that stress-related hormones affect the tumor progression of breast cancer. Therefore, strengthening the emotional management strategies of patients during the process of antitumor treatment as a supplement to the existing treatments may be beneficial.