Exposure to hexachlorobenzene induces endocrine alterations associated with endometriosis progression

CHIAPPINI F; CEBALLOS L; OLIVARES C; BASTÓN JI; PONTILLO C; MIRET N; FARINA M; SINGLA JJ; MERESMAN G; RANDI A

Congreso; Reunión Anual de Sociedades de Biociencias; 2019

Endometriosis is a chronic illness in reproductive age women. Is a hormonal dependent disease which is defined by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. The endocrine disrupting chemicals may be involved in the development and progression of disease. Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) is an organochlorine pesticide that acts as an endocrine disruptor modulating the hormonal signaling. Aberrant expression and signaling of estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER, PR) have been associated with the progression of endometriosis, which is referred to as estrogen-dependent and progesterone-resistant. Aromatase is the key enzyme in the biosynthesis of estrogen and it is essential for the establishment and growth of endometriosis lesions. Previous results showed that HCB induces cell migration and invasion of endometrial cells, increases ERα and reduces PR levels in lesion and eutopic endometrium in rat model. Our aim was to evaluate the dependence of RE on migration (scratch motility assay) and invasion (Transwell assay) in stromal endometrial cells (T-HESCs) and to investigate the hormone receptor profile (WB) in T-HESCs and primary cultures of endometrial stromal cells from eutopic endometrium of control (CESC) women. Cells were exposed to HCB (0.005, 0.05, 0.5 and 5 μM) for 24h. In T-HESCs, the results showed that the pesticide enhanced cell migration (HCB 5 μM p