NIH Public Access Author Manuscript J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia
NIH Public Access Author Manuscript J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2014 May 12. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptPublished NIH-PA Author Manuscript in final edited NIH-PA Author Manuscript form as: J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia. 2013 March ; 18(1): 63–73. doi:10.1007/s10911-013-9273-9. Metals and Breast Cancer Celia Byrne, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA Shailaja D. Divekar, Departments of Oncology and Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA Geoffrey B. Storchan, Departments of Oncology and Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA Daniela A. Parodi, and Departments of Oncology and Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA Mary Beth Martin Departments of Oncology and Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Washington, DC, USA; Georgetown University, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Research Building, 3970 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA Abstract Metalloestrogens are metals that activate the estrogen receptor in the absence of estradiol. The metalloestrogens fall into two subclasses: metal/metalloid anions and bivalent cationic metals. The metal/metalloid anions include compounds such as arsenite, nitrite, selenite, and vanadate while the bivalent cations include metals such as cadmium, calcium, cobalt, copper, nickel, chromium, lead, mercury, and tin. The best studied metalloestrogen is cadmium. It is a heavy metal and a prevalent environmental contaminant with no known physiological function. This review addresses our current understanding of the mechanism by which cadmium and the bivalent cationic metals activate estrogen receptor-α.
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