The pesticide chlorpyrifos induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition related with breast cancer progression and metastases

VENTURA C, ; RANDI A, ; LASAGNA M*,.; HIELPOS S, ; COCCA C; MIRET N, ; NÚÑEZ M,

Mar del Plata

Congreso; LXIV Reunión Científica Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica (SAIC). Reunion Conjunta de Sociedades de Biociencias; 2019

SAIC

Breast cancer is the malignancy most common diagnosed in women around the world. Endocrine disruptors and some environmental factors may act as breast cancer risk. Chlorpyrifos is widely used for control crops in agriculture in our country. We have previously demonstrated its xenoestrogenic action. Epithelium-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is known to be related to tumor progression and metastasis. In order to determine if CPF may promote EMT and thus became a risk factor promoting breast cancer progression, we exposed MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells to CPF (0.00; 0.05 or 50 μM). We evaluated cell morphology after 72 h of exposure by fluorescence and optic microscopy, spheroids formation by hanging drop technique, invasion induced in spheroids laden in collagen gel matrix, proteins involved in EMT activation by WB and immunofluorescence. Mamosphere formation was used as an indicator of an enrichment of cancer stem cells (CSC). Results: CPF 0.05 and 50 μM diminished the number of cell-cell contacts, increased cytoplasmatic projections and changed nucleous-cytomplasm rate in MCF-7 cells. An increment of actin polymerization foci and cytoplasmic projections were observed in MDA-MB-231 cells. Both concentrations of CPF induced an increment of the area of invasion after 7 days of exposure (p