Flaxseed and Soy Protein Isolate, Alone and in Combination, Differ in their Effect on Bone Mass, Biomechanical Strength, and Uterus in Ovariectomized Nude Mice with MCF-7 Human Breast Tumor Xenografts

Abstract

In our previous study, flaxseed (FS) reduced while soy protein isolate (SPI) stimulated MCF-7 breast tumor growth in ovariectomized mice. In addition, combining SPI and FS resulted in a negation of SPI-induced tumor growth. In this study, the effects of SPI, FS, and their combination were further examined on mouse bone and uterus to further ensure overall safety of the breast cancer treatments. Ovariectomized mice with established MCF-7 xenografts were fed either a basal diet (control), or a basal diet supplemented with 10% FS, 20% SPI, or SPI + FS for 25 wk. Mouse bones were analyzed for mineral and biomechanical strength properties, and uterus weight was measured. The SPI group had a higher femur bone mineral density and biomechanical strength parameters (yield load, stiffness, and peak load) compared to control, while the FS group significantly increased femur stiffness and peak load. The SPI + FS group did not affect femur mineral, but significantly reduced whole femur area and length and increased femur yield load, stiffness, and peak load. Uterus weight was significantly increased by the SPI + FS group, while SPI alone induced an intermediate effect. In conclusion, all dietary treatments induced beneficial effects on bone in a preclinical mouse model of postmenopausal breast cancer. Although the SPI + FS and SPI groups exerted stimulatory effects on uterus weight, other histological parameters need to be measured to determine the overall safety of these breast cancer treatments on the uterus.

The authors thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for financial support, and David Kim, Shuvadeep Mitra, and Astor Cheng for technical assistance.