Mechanism study of phthalate exposure promoting endometriosis: Based on the ferroptosis perspective - PubMed
3 days ago
- #Phthalates
- #Endometriosis
- #Ferroptosis
- Phthalates (PAEs) are endocrine-disrupting chemicals linked to endometriosis (EM), but the micro-mechanisms are unclear.
- Ferroptosis is a key pathological driver of EM, but research connecting PAE exposure, ferroptosis, and EM is insufficient.
- The study used bulk RNA-seq, scRNA-seq, spatial transcriptomics, network toxicology, multi-omics analysis, molecular docking, and clinical validation to investigate the mechanism.
- ARF6 was identified as a key ferroptosis-related gene (FRG) under PAEs exposure, disrupting the immune microenvironment of EM and promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).
- An EMT model was constructed showing high ARF6 expression promotes Lumenal + Ciliated → Fibros transition in EM.
- Virtual knockout of ARF6 in Fibros cells revealed its role in mediating ferroptosis mechanisms during EMT.
- The study proposed the 'PAEs - Ferroptosis - EMT - Endometriosis' axis, identifying a novel therapeutic target for EM.