Search

Nothing is more important for human survival today, than understanding nature's mechanisms via a chemo-biological language. This multidisciplinary approach is a complex operation, because it involves integration of several levels of organization, such as chemistry, morphology and ecogeography, expressed by diversification of metabolites, forms and environments, respectively. A comparison among these different expressions of life, in spite of undisputed importance, still remains an arduous research topic. Application of this unified approach would revigorate the study of old and controversial matter, plant bioactivity. To face the major challenge toward this aim: confrontation of traditional knowledge with scientific methodology, required the determination of trends among the uses of angiosperm species independently of empiricisms and regionalities. Thus, incorporation of new codes, expressing biological functions, in the chemo-biological language becomes possible only through evolutionary concepts and patterns.

Benzophenone-3 is a putative endocrine disrupting chemical and common ingredient in sunscreens. The potential of endocrine disrupting chemicals to act as agonists or antagonists in critical hormonally regulated processes, such as mammary gland development and mammary tumorigenesis, demands evaluation of its potential in promoting breast cancer. This study identifies the effects of BP-3 on mammary tumorigenesis with high-fat diet during puberty versus adulthood in Trp53 - null transplant BALB/c mice. Benzophenone-3 exposure yielded levels in urine similar to humans subjected to heavy topical sunscreen exposure. Benzophenone-3 was protective for epithelial tumorigenesis in mice fed lifelong low-fat diet, while promotional for epithelial tumorigenesis in mice fed adult high-fat diet. Benzophenone-3 increased tumor cell proliferation, decreased tumor cell apoptosis, and increased tumor vascularity dependent on specific dietary regimen and tumor histopathology. Even in instances of an ostensibly protective effect, other parameters suggest greater risk. Although benzophenone-3 seemed protective on low-fat diet, spindle cell tumors arising in these mice showed increased proliferation and decreased apoptosis. This points to a need for further studies of benzophenone-3 in both animal models and humans as a potential breast cancer risk factor, as well as a more general need to evaluate endocrine disrupting chemicals in varying dietary contexts., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST Authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright: © 2020 Kariagina et al.)