Work

Pollutant-induced activation of the AHR–NF-κB–C/EBPβ axis in colorectal cancer

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study identified environmental pollutants associated with activation of the AHR–NF-κB–C/EBPβ signaling axis and examined their effects in colorectal cancer (CRC). ToxCast indicators and TCGA-COAD/READ RNA-seq data were integrated to construct a pollutant-response matrix; an SVM model prioritized phenmedipham for mechanistic testing. In vitro, phenmedipham increased AHR, p-p65, and C/EBPβ expression and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, whereas pathway-component silencing attenuated these effects. In vivo, phenmedipham increased colonic tumor burden and histopathological damage; pathway inhibition mitigated these phenotypes. Immunological analyses indicated impaired dendritic-cell activation and T-cell effector responses. These results provide preclinical evidence that phenmedipham can modulate inflammatory signaling and tumor-associated phenotypes in the tested models. They do not establish human carcinogenicity, CRC risk, or population-level exposure–disease causality; epidemiological validation is required.

Source: npj Precision Oncology

DOI: 10.1038/s41698-026-01755-w

Authors: Chao Han, Yan Zhao, Yang Qin, Hongyuan Yu, Yangyang Yu

Institutions: First Hospital of China Medical University, China Medical University, Anshan Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact

Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $4,090