Expression of LXR-β, ABCA1 and ABCG1 in human triple-negative breast cancer tissues

Previous studies have reported that liver X receptor (LXR), ATP-binding cassette sub-family G number 1 (ABCG1) and ATP-binding cassette transporter number 1 (ABCA1), which are associated with cholesterol metabolism, may be associated with the development and progression of breast cancer. The expression levels of LXR-β, ABCA1 and ABCG1 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) tissues and in non-cancerous mammary tissues were observed by immunohistochemistry, quantum dot-based immunohistochemistry, western blot analysis and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The present study identified that the expression of ABCA1 in TNBC tissues was higher than that in non-cancerous mammary tissues. A high expression of ABCA1 in the TNBC tissues was significantly associated with the histological grade. However, no significant differences were identified between the expression levels of LXR-β and ABCG1 in the TNBC tissues compared with the non-cancerous mammary tissues. Therefore, the findings of this study suggest that ABCA1 is a specific marker for TNBC.