5-HT serotonin receptors modulate mitogenic signaling and impact tumor cell viability.

5-HT serotonin receptors modulate mitogenic signaling and impact tumor cell viability. Mol Clin Oncol. 2018 Sep;9(3):243-254 Authors: Ballou Y, Rivas A, Belmont A, Patel L, Amaya CN, Lipson S, Khayou T, Dickerson EB, Nahleh Z, Bryan BA Abstract Symptoms of depression are present in over half of all cancer patients, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) anti-depressant medications are prescribed to nearly a quarter of these individuals in order to cope with their disease. Previous studies have provided evidence that elevated serotonin (5-HT) and serotonin receptor levels may contribute to oncogenic progression, yet little is known regarding the mechanism by which this occurs. The data demonstrated that serotonin receptor mRNAs and proteins are expressed across diverse cancer types, and that serotonin stimulation of tumor cells activates oncogenic signaling mediators including components of the AKT, CREB, GSK3, and MAPK pathways. Selective pharmacological inhibition of the seven known classes of 5-HT receptors in sarcoma and breast cancer cells resulted in dose dependent decreases in tumor cell viability, activation of the p53 DNA damage pathway, suppression of MAPK activity, and significantly reduced tumor volume in an in ovo model. Based on a retrospective clinical analysis of 419 patients diagnosed with breast cancer, we discovered that use of SSRIs was associated with a 2.3-fold increase in tumor proliferation rates for...
Source: Clinical Breast Cancer - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Mol Clin Oncol Source Type: research