Hunter D S, Hodges L C, Eagon P K, Vonier P M, Fuchs-Young R, Bergerson J S, Walker C L
Department of Carcinogenesis, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville, Texas, USA.
Environ Health Perspect. 2000 Oct;108 Suppl 5:829-34. doi: 10.1289/ehp.00108s5829.
The remarkable frequency of uterine leiomyoma in the human population calls into question the potential for the participation of environmental factors in tumor etiology. Having been implicated in the dramatic rise in hormone-related cancers in recent years, endocrine disruptors are salient suspects in this pathogenesis, although the mechanism by which they might participate is unclear. Investigations using the Eker rat model show that uterine leiomyoma may have an enhanced sensitivity to modulation via the estrogen receptor. This sensitivity could make these tumors a target for disruption by exogenous estrogen receptor ligands. Direct evidence for a pathogenic role of exogenous compounds in leiomyomas is lacking; however, it can be demonstrated that such diverse agents as organochlorine pesticides, dietary flavonoids, botanical extracts, and therapeutic antiestrogens have either estrogen agonist or antagonist function in myometrial tissues. The use of this model will help define the impact of exogenous estrogen receptor modulators on uterine leiomyoma and will permit the evaluation of strategies for therapeutic intervention.
子宫平滑肌瘤在人群中的显著高发性让人质疑环境因素在肿瘤病因学中所起作用的可能性。近年来，内分泌干扰物被认为与激素相关癌症的急剧增加有关，尽管它们可能参与发病机制的方式尚不清楚，但它们在这种发病机制中是主要嫌疑人。使用埃克大鼠模型的研究表明，子宫平滑肌瘤可能对通过雌激素受体进行的调节具有更高的敏感性。这种敏感性可能使这些肿瘤成为外源性雌激素受体配体破坏的目标。目前缺乏外源性化合物在平滑肌瘤中致病作用的直接证据；然而，可以证明，诸如有机氯农药、膳食类黄酮、植物提取物和治疗性抗雌激素等多种物质在子宫肌层组织中具有雌激素激动剂或拮抗剂功能。使用该模型将有助于确定外源性雌激素受体调节剂对子宫平滑肌瘤的影响，并将允许评估治疗干预策略。
