1
|
Pan J, Liu P, Yu X, Zhang Z, Liu J. The adverse role of endocrine disrupting chemicals in the reproductive system. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 14:1324993. [PMID: 38303976 PMCID: PMC10832042 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1324993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Reproductive system diseases pose prominent threats to human physical and mental well-being. Besides being influenced by genetic material regulation and changes in lifestyle, the occurrence of these diseases is closely connected to exposure to harmful substances in the environment. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), characterized by hormone-like effects, have a wide range of influences on the reproductive system. EDCs are ubiquitous in the natural environment and are present in a wide range of industrial and everyday products. Currently, thousands of chemicals have been reported to exhibit endocrine effects, and this number is likely to increase as the testing for potential EDCs has not been consistently required, and obtaining data has been limited, partly due to the long latency of many diseases. The ability to avoid exposure to EDCs, especially those of artificially synthesized origin, is increasingly challenging. While EDCs can be divided into persistent and non-persistent depending on their degree of degradation, due to the recent uptick in research studies in this area, we have chosen to focus on the research pertaining to the detrimental effects on reproductive health of exposure to several EDCs that are widely encountered in daily life over the past six years, specifically bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates (PAEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), parabens, pesticides, heavy metals, and so on. By focusing on the impact of EDCs on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, which leads to the occurrence and development of reproductive system diseases, this review aims to provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of EDCs' damage to human health and to encourage further in-depth research to clarify the potentially harmful effects of EDC exposure through various other mechanisms. Ultimately, it offers a scientific basis to enhance EDCs risk management, an endeavor of significant scientific and societal importance for safeguarding reproductive health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Pan
- The First Clinical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Pengfei Liu
- Gynecology Department, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Xiao Yu
- Gynecology Department, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Zhongming Zhang
- Zhang Zhongjing College of Chinese Medicine, Nanyang Institute of Technology, Nanyang, Henan, China
| | - Jinxing Liu
- Gynecology Department, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital, Jinan, Shandong, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Aimaier R, Chung MH, Gu Y, Yu Q, Wei C, Li H, Guo Z, Long M, Li Y, Wang W, Li Q, Wang Z. FOXM1 promotes neurofibromatosis type 1-associated malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor progression in a NUF2-dependent manner. Cancer Gene Ther 2023; 30:1390-1402. [PMID: 37488294 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-023-00645-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are aggressive soft-tissue sarcomas characterized by poor prognosis and low drug response rates. Traditional chemo/radiotherapies show only mild benefits for patients with MPNSTs, and no targeted therapy is available in the clinic. A better understanding of the molecular background of MPNSTs is critical for the development of effective targeted therapies. Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) has been implicated in the progression of many human malignancies, though its role in MPNSTs is unclear. In this study, using four Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets and a tissue microarray, we demonstrated that FOXM1 upregulation was associated with poor prognosis in patients with MPNSTs. FOXM1 overexpression and knockdown regulated the proliferation and colony formation of MPNST cells. Using bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assays, we identified NUF2 as a direct downstream target of FOXM1. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the induction of MPNST cell proliferation by FOXM1 was dependent on elevated NUF2 expression, as NUF2 knockdown abolished the FOXM1-induced proliferation of MPNST cells. Our study showed that the FOXM1-NUF2 axis mediates human MPNST progression and could be a potential therapeutic target.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rehanguli Aimaier
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Man-Hon Chung
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yihui Gu
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qingxiong Yu
- Department of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chengjiang Wei
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Haibo Li
- Department of Plastic Surgery, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Zizhen Guo
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Manmei Long
- Department of Pathology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuehua Li
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qingfeng Li
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zhichao Wang
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
A View on Uterine Leiomyoma Genesis through the Prism of Genetic, Epigenetic and Cellular Heterogeneity. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24065752. [PMID: 36982825 PMCID: PMC10056617 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Uterine leiomyomas (ULs), frequent benign tumours of the female reproductive tract, are associated with a range of symptoms and significant morbidity. Despite extensive research, there is no consensus on essential points of UL initiation and development. The main reason for this is a pronounced inter- and intratumoral heterogeneity resulting from diverse and complicated mechanisms underlying UL pathobiology. In this review, we comprehensively analyse risk and protective factors for UL development, UL cellular composition, hormonal and paracrine signalling, epigenetic regulation and genetic abnormalities. We conclude the need to carefully update the concept of UL genesis in light of the current data. Staying within the framework of the existing hypotheses, we introduce a possible timeline for UL development and the associated key events—from potential prerequisites to the beginning of UL formation and the onset of driver and passenger changes.
Collapse
|
4
|
Yan Y, Shi M, Fannin R, Yu L, Liu J, Castro L, Dixon D. Prolonged Cadmium Exposure Alters Migration Dynamics and Increases Heterogeneity of Human Uterine Fibroid Cells—Insights from Time Lapse Analysis. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10040917. [PMID: 35453667 PMCID: PMC9031958 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10040917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most prevalent environmental heavy metal contaminants and is considered an endocrine disruptor and carcinogen. In women with uterine fibroids, there is a correlation between blood Cd levels and fibroid tumor size. In this study, fibroid cells were exposed to 10 µM CdCl2 for 6 months and a fast-growing Cd-Resistant Leiomyoma culture, termed CR-LM6, was recovered. To characterize the morphological and mechanodynamic features of uterine fibroid cells associated with prolonged Cd exposure, we conducted time lapse imaging using a Zeiss confocal microscope and analyzed data by Imaris and RStudio. Our experiments recorded more than 64,000 trackable nuclear surface objects, with each having multiple parameters such as nuclear size and shape, speed, location, orientation, track length, and track straightness. Quantitative analysis revealed that prolonged Cd exposure significantly altered cell migration behavior, such as increased track length and reduced track straightness. Cd exposure also significantly increased the heterogeneity in nuclear size. Additionally, Cd significantly increased the median and variance of instantaneous speed, indicating that Cd exposure results in higher speed and greater variation in motility. Profiling of mRNA by NanoString analysis and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) strongly suggested that the direction of gene expression changes due to Cd exposure enhanced cell movement and invasion. The altered expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) genes such as collagens, matrix metallopeptidases (MMPs), secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1), which are important for migration contact guidance, may be responsible for the greater heterogeneity. The significantly increased heterogeneity of nuclear size, speed, and altered migration patterns may be a prerequisite for fibroid cells to attain characteristics favorable for cancer progression, invasion, and metastasis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yitang Yan
- Molecular Pathogenesis Group, Mechanistic Toxicology Branch, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 111 TW Alexander Drive, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (Y.Y.); (L.Y.); (J.L.); (L.C.)
| | - Min Shi
- Biostatistics & Computational Biology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 111 TW Alexander Drive, Durham, NC 27709, USA;
| | - Rick Fannin
- Molecular Genomics Core Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 111 TW Alexander Drive, Durham, NC 27709, USA;
| | - Linda Yu
- Molecular Pathogenesis Group, Mechanistic Toxicology Branch, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 111 TW Alexander Drive, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (Y.Y.); (L.Y.); (J.L.); (L.C.)
| | - Jingli Liu
- Molecular Pathogenesis Group, Mechanistic Toxicology Branch, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 111 TW Alexander Drive, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (Y.Y.); (L.Y.); (J.L.); (L.C.)
| | - Lysandra Castro
- Molecular Pathogenesis Group, Mechanistic Toxicology Branch, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 111 TW Alexander Drive, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (Y.Y.); (L.Y.); (J.L.); (L.C.)
| | - Darlene Dixon
- Molecular Pathogenesis Group, Mechanistic Toxicology Branch, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 111 TW Alexander Drive, Durham, NC 27709, USA; (Y.Y.); (L.Y.); (J.L.); (L.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-984-287-3848
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Kateryna T, Monika L, Beata J, Joanna R, Edyta R, Marcin B, Agnieszka KW, Ewa J. Cadmium and breast cancer – current state and research gaps in the underlying mechanisms. Toxicol Lett 2022; 361:29-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2022.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
|