Hormonally induced modulation in the phosphate metabolites of breast cancer: analysis of in vivo 31P MRS signals with a modified prony method

Magn Reson Med. 1997 Aug;38(2):285-95. doi: 10.1002/mrm.1910380219.

Abstract

A modified Prony method (MPM) was applied to analyze the main signals present in spatially resolved 31P NMR spectra of MCF7 breast tumors implanted in nude mice. First, the method was tested on synthetic data to establish its limits of reliability. Its performance with respect to peak identification and quantification of signal intensities was then exploited on data from three implanted tumors during hormonal manipulation with estrogen and the antiestrogenic drug tamoxifen. The phosphomonoester peak was resolved into phosphocholine (PC) and phosphoethanolamine (PE). Treatment with tamoxifen led to a significant reduction in the PE to PE+PC peak amplitude ratio in the tumors under consideration. MPM analysis also revealed the presence of two different inorganic phosphate pools: a larger acidic pool and a smaller alkaline pool during estrogen-induced growth and the reverse during tumor regression.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Estrogen Antagonists / pharmacology*
  • Estrogens / pharmacology*
  • Female
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / methods*
  • Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Nude
  • Neoplasm Transplantation
  • Phosphates / metabolism*
  • Tamoxifen / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Estrogen Antagonists
  • Estrogens
  • Phosphates
  • Tamoxifen