Action of the neonicotinoid insecticide Imidacloprid on MCF-7 breast cancer cells

NOELIA MIRET; MARÍA AGUSTINA LEGUIZAMÓN; SOL BUJÁN; CAROLINA PONTILLO; FLORENCIA CHIAPPINI; MARIANELA LASAGNA; CLAUDIA COCCA; ANDREA RANDI

Mar del Plata

Congreso; Reunión Anual de Sociedades de Biociencias; 2022

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica

The incidence of breast cancer is increasing globally and exposure to endocrine disruptors (EDs) has become a potential risk factor for this disease. Different studies have linked breast cancer risk with pesticide exposure. Imidacloprid (IMI) is a neonicotinoid insecticide widely used in agriculture and veterinary medicine. It acts as an ED by increasing aromatase activity and 17β-estradiol secretion in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Given that most breast tumors are hormone-dependent, it is suggested that IMI exposure could promote their development. Due to the limited information on the effects of IMI on breast cancer, our objective was to evaluate its possible impact on cell viability, proliferation and estrogen receptor (ER)-α and G protein-coupled ER (GPER) protein expression in breast cancer. In addition, we examined metalloproteinases (MMP) activity, as they degrade the basal membrane and thus allow tumor cell migration and invasion. MCF-7 cells were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of IMI (0.01-10 µM) for 24 h or vehicle (DMSO). Results showed that IMI does not alter cell viability (MTT assay), but produces an increase in cell proliferation. The clonogenic assay showed an enhancement in the number of colonies at 0.01 μM (p