The contribution of dietary and plasma folate and cobalamin to levels of angiopoietin-1, angiopoietin-2 and Tie-2 receptors depend on vascular endothelial growth factor status of primary breast cancer patients

Sci Rep. 2019 Oct 16;9(1):14851. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-51050-x.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the association of dietary folate and cobalamin with plasma levels of Angiopoietins (ANG), vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and tyrosine kinase receptor-2 (Tie-2) of primary breast cancer patients. Women (n = 177), aged 30 to 75 years diagnosed with breast cancer were recruited from an ongoing case series study. Dietary intake of nutrients was estimated by using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was applied to measure biomarkers. MCF-7 cell cultures were supplemented with folic acid (0-40 μM) for 24 h to measure cell viability and fold change of expression by the real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Structural equation modeling was applied to analyze the structural relationships between the measured variables of nutrients and Angiopoietins. Dietary intake of folate and cobalamin showed a significant inverse correlation with plasma ANG-1 and ANG-2 (P < 0.05), particularly in subjects with estrogen-receptor positive tumors or low plasma VEGF-C. Plasma folate was positively associated with the ratio of ANG-1/ANG-2 (P < 0.05). Residual intake levels of total cobalamin were inversely associated with plasma ANG-1 when plasma stratum of VEGF-C was high (P < 0.05). Structural equation modeling identified a significant inverse contribution of folate profiles on the latent variable of Angiopoietins (coefficient β = -0.99, P < 0.05). Folic acid treatment resulted in dose-dependent down-regulations on ANGPT1 and ANGPT1/ANGPT2 ratio but VEGF and ANGPT2/VEGF were upregulated at folic acid >20 μM. Studying the contributing role of dietary folate to pro-angiogenic biomarkers in breast cancer patients can infer the preventive role of folate in the ANGs/VEGF-C-dependent cascade of tumor metastasis. By contrast, high concentrations of folic acid in vitro supported VEGF-C-dependent ANGPT2 overexpression might potentiate micro-lymphatic vessel development to support malignant cell dissemination.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Angiopoietin-1 / blood*
  • Angiopoietin-2 / blood*
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / blood
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Carcinoma, Ductal / metabolism*
  • Diet
  • Female
  • Folic Acid* / blood
  • Folic Acid* / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • MCF-7 Cells
  • Middle Aged
  • Receptor, TIE-2 / blood*
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C / blood*
  • Vitamin B 12* / blood
  • Vitamin B 12* / pharmacology

Substances

  • ANGPT1 protein, human
  • ANGPT2 protein, human
  • Angiopoietin-1
  • Angiopoietin-2
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • VEGFC protein, human
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C
  • Folic Acid
  • Receptor, TIE-2
  • TEK protein, human
  • Vitamin B 12