MicroRNA Expression During Long-Term Treatment With 3-MCPD and Glycidol In Vitro

Esters of 3-MCPD and glycidol are food contaminants formed during heat processing. Dietary exposure to these compounds may pose a health risk because their free forms exhibit toxic effects that have been linked to renal cancer and other adverse outcomes. Considering that the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the toxicity of these contaminants remains poorly understood in the literature, the aim of this study was to investigate changes in miRNA expression linked to renal carcinogenesis using RT-PCR and to 3-MCPD and glycidol. Tumor (786-0) and non-tumor (HK-2 and HEK-293) renal cell lines were exposed to contaminants for 40 and 80 days at low and high concentrations, respectively. Our results demonstrated that glycidol was more toxic than 3-MCPD in renal cell lines, with IC50 values up to 200 mM for 3-MCPD compared to 7.19 mM for glycidol. Furthermore, we observed up to an 11-fold upregulation of miRNAs associated with renal carcinogenesis and a downregulation of tumor suppressor miRNAs. Our data provide new insights that may be relevant for future studies investigating the mechanisms of renal carcinogenesis induced by 3-MCPD and glycidol.