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Updated: Jan 7, 2026
High Content Screening Analysis to Evaluate the Toxicological Effects of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents HPHC
Published on: May 10, 2016
Integrative analysis of DEHP exposure and prostate cancer: Mechanistic insights and predictive modeling
Wen-Cai Zheng1, Wen-Tao Xu1, Chao-Ran Chen1
1Department of Urology, Urology Research Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350005, China; Department of Urology, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350212, China.
Objective:
Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a ubiquitous plasticizer of significant health concern due to its endocrine disrupting effects. The study aims to elucidate underlying molecular mechanisms between DEHP exposure and prostate cancer (PCa).
Methods:
In vitro and in vivo experiments were undertaken to validate the effects of DEHP on the biological function of prostate cancer, and RNA sequencing was performed to elucidate the underlying mechanism. We integrated in silico toxicological assessments and bioinformatics methodologies was employed to investigate the key targets and associated downstream pathways in DEHP-induced PCa progression.
Results:
In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that MEHP promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of PCa cells and tumorigenicity, and RNA sequencing revealed that the metabolic pathways, pathways in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway might be potential mechanisms involved in this process. Additionally, six DEHP-related genes were identified and a DEHP-related model was constructed. The data of scRNA indicated that these six DEHP-related genes may contribute in the tumor microenvironment of PCa. The molecular docking analysis revealed DEHP's ability to bind to crucial DEHP -related proteins.
Conclusions:
Our study unveils a novel insight into the function for DEHP in PCa, shedding new light on prediction, assessment, and mitigation of DEHP exposure and PCa progression.
