Oral Contraceptive Steroids Promote Papillary Thyroid Cancer Metastasis by Targeting Angiogenesis and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Thyroid cancer is the most prevalent type of endocrine malignancy with the highest incidence rate among women under 45 years old. Ethinylestradiol (EE) and levonorgestrel (LNG) are two steroid components of low-dose oral contraceptives used all over the world. In this study, we aimed to examine the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of molecular and cellular medicine 2021, Vol.10 (3), p.219-226
Main Authors: Dehghan, Mohammad Hossein, Ashrafi, Mohammad Reza, Hedayati, Mehdi, Shivaee, Setareh, Rajabi, Sadegh
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Angiogenesis
Birth control
Cell culture
Genes
Metastasis
Original
Proteins
Software
Steroids
Thyroid cancer
Vascular endothelial growth factor
Womens health
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Summary:Thyroid cancer is the most prevalent type of endocrine malignancy with the highest incidence rate among women under 45 years old. Ethinylestradiol (EE) and levonorgestrel (LNG) are two steroid components of low-dose oral contraceptives used all over the world. In this study, we aimed to examine the possible effects of the combination of these two steroids on metastasis and angiogenic factors in BCPAP papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) cell line. After treatment of BCPAP cells with the combination of 20 nM EE and 90 nM LNG, mRNA expression levels of long noncoding RNAs and , angiogenic and antiangiogenic gene markers and , and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) biomarkers , , , and were analyzed by real-time PCR. Additionally, the protein expression of VEGFA was semiquantified by Western blotting. Results showed that the combination of LNG and EE significantly elevated the level of VEGFA protein and mRNA expression of and genes while decreased gene expression but had no marked effect on the expression of gene in comparison with the control group. Also, our results suggest that LNG and EE may increase the metastatic and migratory properties of BCPAP cells via modulating angiogenic and EMT biomarkers. These data may highlight the potential of exogenous steroids in the advancement of PTC tumors.
ISSN:2251-9637
2251-9645
DOI:10.22088/IJMCM.BUMS.10.3.218