Novel roles of adipocytes in the mammary gland development and breast cancer progression, and involvement of adipokines in the roles

产后乳腺在皮下脂肪组织中发育，脂肪细胞作为上皮细胞的护理细胞。随着脂肪细胞的肥大，未怀孕小鼠乳腺导管发育受损。脂肪细胞的肥大也延迟了妊娠早期导管侧支的形成，以及妊娠中后期腺泡的形成和成熟。脂肪细胞的肥大引起了高瘦素血症，瘦素在体内和体外都模拟了脂肪细胞肥大的一些作用。因此，提示脂肪细胞肥大抑制乳腺发育，瘦素在其中起一定作用。

The mammary gland develops in subcutaneous adipose tissue in the post natal period, and adipocytes function as a nursing cell for epithelial cells. With hypertrophy of adipocytes, ductal development of mammary gland in non-pregnant mice was impaired. Hypertrophy of adipocytes also delayed side-branch formation from the duct in the early phase of pregnancy, and acinar formation and its maturation in the mid-and late phase of pregnancy. Hypertrophy of adipocytes caused hyper-leptinemia, and leptin mimicked some effects by hypertrophy of adipocytes both in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, it was suggested that hypertrophy of adipocytes suppressed mammary gland development and leptin partly played a role in the suppression.