The Role of Acetylcholinesterase, Paraoxonase, and Oxidative Stress in Breast Tumors

Oxidative stress is associated with the development of a large variety of malignancies. This study was conducted to evaluate the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and arylesterase (ARE) activities, malondialdehyde (MDA), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) plasma levels in two groups of patient with breast cancer and benign breast diseases compared to healthy volunteers. The present study was composed of two groups of patients with malignant breast tumors (MBT) and benign breast diseases (BBD), and a control group (CON). Enzyme activities and antioxidants markers were measured, using spectrophotometry. In both case groups, MBT and BBD, ARE was found to show lower activity compared to CON group (P = 0.004 and P = 0.014, respectively). Lower activity of AChE was found in both MBT and BBD compared to CON subjects (P = 0.003 and P = 0.034, respectively). The mean plasma levels of MDA in both groups of patients MBT and BBD were higher than those in CON (P < 0.001 for both comparisons). No significant differences were detected between groups regarding the mean levels of TAC. The results obtained from the current study indicate that healthy subjects show a different redox status than patients with MBT and BBD. Our data suggest that erythrocyte AChE may be considered as an indicator of oxidative stress along with other factors in patients with breast tumors. Thus, consuming antioxidant supplements can be helpful for the prevention of breast diseases.