Gene Expression Profile of Uterine Leiomyoma from Women Exposed to Different Air Pollution Levels in Metropolitan Cities of Sao Paulo, Brazil

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2023-01, Vol.24 (3), p.2431
• Main Authors: Dos Anjos, Laura Gonzalez, de Almeida, Bruna Cristine, Baracat, Edmund Chada, Al-Hendy, Ayman, Yang, Qiwei, Carvalho, Katia Candido
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abortion; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollutants - toxicity; Air pollution; Air Pollution - adverse effects; Air Pollution - analysis; Bcl-2 protein; Brazil - epidemiology; Cities; Contraceptives; Dishevelled protein; Endocrine disruptors; ESR1 protein; Etiology; Female; Fertility; Fibroblast growth factor receptors; Fibroids; Gene expression; Genes; Humans; Hysterectomy; Infertility; Leiomyoma - etiology; Leiomyoma - genetics; Menstruation; Metropolitan areas; Organic chemicals; Patients; Pollutants; Pollution levels; Pregnancy; Stem cells; Transcriptome; Tumors; Uterus
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032431

Leiomyomas (LMs) are the most frequent uterine benign tumors, representing the leading cause of hysterectomy indications worldwide. They are highly associated with women's reproductive complications, and endocrine disruptors may influence their etiology. In this sense, air pollution represents a relevant hormonal disruptor that acts on key signaling pathways, resulting in tumor development and infertility. Our goal was to evaluate submucosal LM samples from patients living in the metropolitan and Sao Paulo city regions, focusing on genes involved in tumor development and infertility features. Twenty-four patients were selected based on their region of residence and clinical information availability. Several genes were differentially expressed between women living in metropolitan areas and Sao Paulo city. Significant associations were observed between , , , and downregulation and contraceptive use in the samples from women living in Sao Paulo city. and downregulation was associated with ethnicity. and were associated with LM treatment and related pathologies, respectively. In the samples from women living in other cities of the metropolitan region, abortion occurrence was associated with upregulation. Although further studies may be necessary, our results showed that air pollution exposure influences the expression of genes related to LM development and female reproductive features.