Annie

Research done by scientists at the University of Manchester has found that there may be a relationship between breast cancer and the intake of alcohol. An enzyme called CYP2E1 was found to be affecting the growth of breast cancer. As we’ve learned in chapter 6, CYP2E1 like most enzymes speeds up reactions between substrates and in this case, it disassembles molecules such as alcohol into reactive oxygen species (ROS) in which oxidative stress happens, helping cells operate in a standard environment. However, excess ROS would create problems causing cells to function improperly. Since alcohol is typically filtered out by the liver, high levels of these enzymes are found there but the puzzlement is why such levels are in breast tissue of cancer patients as well. The enzyme CYP2E1 is seen as an aid to mostly the early stages of cancer that helps it progress forward to advanced tumors by nurturing cells in stressful environments and assisting in moving cells. The movement and spread of cancer cells is called metastasis and it’s a key trait to understanding tumors. What the article seems to conclude is that larger alcohol consumption further increases one’s chances of developing breast cancer since the excess product of this enzyme reaction (ROS) would prove useful in cancer progression but harmful in individual health.

My question is since so many enzymes inhibit in their own normal environments (such as pH and temperature as we’ve learned), what can be done, pertaining this, so that the enzymatic reaction can be limited to prevent advancement in cancer growth?

Manchester University. "Alcohol-breakdown molecule may play a role in breast cancer development." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140211083901.htm>.