Glyphosate induces epithelial mesenchymal transition related changes via estrogen receptor pathway

GASTIAZORO MP; VARAYOUD J; ZIERAU O

Dresden

Simposio; International Research Alumni Symposium 2019; 2019

Technische Univeritat Dresden

The safety, including the endocrine disruptive capability and the role on cancer relatedprocess, of glyphosate is a matter of intense global debate. We evaluated the possibleeffects on epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) related process exerts by glyphosate(Gly) and the potential endocrine disruptor effect of glyphosate in this process. In thisstudy, we examined whether glyphosate can induce EMT related changes on humanendometrial carcinoma cell line (Ishikawa cells) and if glyphosate use the estrogenreceptor pathway. Ishikawa cells exposed to a reference dose of pure glyphosate, in aninterval of concentrations from 0.2 µM to 200 µM including the reference dose (RfD),showed a reduction in cell viability and an increase on cell migration and invasionability compared to vehicle, as did 17β-estradiol (E2). In addition, we detected a downregulation of E-cadherin mRNA expression of Ishikawa cells in response to theapplication of glyphosate and E2. Taken together, these results show the properties ofglyphosate to promote EMT related changes. Besides, we evaluated if glyphosate,acting as a possible endocrine disruptor, could produce its effects via estrogen receptorpathway. The addition of inhibitor of ER (ICI 182,780) abolishes all the changesprovoked by Gly mentioned above. Thus, these results indicate that glyphosate couldpromote the EMT related changes via ER pathway. Our study contributes to the existingknowledge about in vitro exposure to glyphosate and the effect related with endometrialcancer process. In addition, we provide a new insight in relation to ER mediated effectby glyphosate action.