Leptin and Adiponectin: Emerging Therapeutic Targets in Breast Cancer

• Published in: Journal of mammary gland biology and neoplasia Vol. 18; no. 3-4; pp. 321 - 332
• Main Author: Surmacz, Eva
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01-12-2013; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adiponectin - antagonists & inhibitors; Adiponectin - metabolism; Animals; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - drug therapy; Breast Neoplasms - metabolism; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Cancer Research; Female; Humans; Leptin - antagonists & inhibitors; Leptin - metabolism; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Oncology; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Peptide drugs; Adipokines; Preclinical drug development; Leptin; Metabolic signaling; Adiponectin
• ISSN: 1083-3021; 1573-7039
• DOI: 10.1007/s10911-013-9302-8

Obesity is a recognized risk factor for breast cancer development and poorer response to therapy. Two major fat tissue-derived adipokines, leptin and adiponectin have been implicated in mammary carcinogenesis. Leptin appears to promote breast cancer progression through activation of mitogenic, antiapoptotic, and metastatic pathways, while adiponectin may restrict tumorigenic processes primarily by inhibiting cell metabolism. Furthermore, adiponectin is known to counteract detrimental leptin effects in breast cancer models. Thus, therapeutic inhibition of pro-neoplastic leptin pathways and reactivation of anti-neoplastic adiponectin signaling may benefit breast cancer patients, especially the obese subpopulation. This review focuses on current experimental strategies aiming at leptin and adiponectin pathways in breast cancer models. Novel leptin receptor antagonists and adiponectin receptor agonists as well as other compounds for therapeutic modulation of adipokine pathways are discussed in detail, including potential pharmacological advantages and limitations of these approaches.