Abstract
Occupational and environmental exposure to xenoestrogens, a subgroup of endocrine disruptors (EDCs), can affect the endocrine system and increase the risk of cancer, primarily the hormone-dependent kind. This type of cancer includes ovarian cancer, which is the leading cause of death from gynecological tumors. The aim of this study was to assess the role of 17β-estradiol and its metabolites: 2-MeOE2, 16α-OHE1 in exposure to the metalloestrogen cadmium. The effect of interactions of cadmium with estrogens on the viability of cells in malignant ovarian cancer cells SKOV-3 was investigated, both in simultaneous action and in the pre-incubation model. There are no known interactions between estrogens and cadmium in ovarian cancer cells. Due to the frequent occurrence of multidrug resistance (MDR) in ovarian cancer, the effects of estrogens and cadmium on MDR in SKOV-3, measured as P-glycoprotein (P-gp), were assessed. An interaction study showed that E2 had an antagonistic effect on cadmium-induced cell damage, while 2-MeOE2 showed less of a protective effect in combination with CdCl2 than E2. There were two types of interaction: toxic synergism and beneficial antagonism. E2 and cadmium increased P-gp expression in SKOV-3 cells, while 2-MeOE2 decreased P-gp expression to a potentially beneficial effect on MDR prevention. The obtained results constitute an interesting starting point for further research in the field of interactions between estrogens and xenoestrogens in ovarian cancer.