Environmental pollution represents one of the most pressing problems in developed countries and in recent years has raised concern and doubts also from the scientific perspective. In fact, an ever-growing number of epidemiologic-observational studies, carried out on population at risk, correlated the exposure to environmental chemicals with the incidence of several pathological conditions, ranging from metabolic to cardiological and reproductive diseases, until the development of cancers. These evidences have made more urgent the need for further investigations on the biological mechanism at the basis of pollutants toxicity. In particular, significant attention has been paid to evaluating the impact of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) on human health. OCPs belong to a large class of organic compounds that the Stockholm Convention catalogued as “POPs” (Persistent Organic Pollutants). The list of banned chemicals includes dioxins and their derivatives, hexachlorocyclohexane, polychlorinated biphenyls and aldrin, whereas many other similar substances are subjected to restrictions. OCPs are widely distributed in the biosphere and their hazardousness is mostly related to physicochemical properties such as lipophilia and energetic stability, that allow these molecules to be resistant to biodegradation and to bio-accumulate into the adipose tissue. Information about the molecular mechanisms of the most popular OCPs (i.e. dioxins, DDT) is already present in scientific literature and several studies indicated them as endocrine disrupting chemicals as well as oncogenes. On the other hand, not much is known about a dangerous and widely diffused compound: the hexachlorocyclohexane. Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) is a chlorinated cyclic saturated hydrocarbon that exists in four isomers: α, β, γ and δ hexachlorocyclohexane. The g-isomer of HCH, also known as lindane, is a broad-spectrum insecticide that has been extensively used for the control of agricultural pests and for health purposes. Among HCH isomers, which are by-products of lindane industrial synthesis, β-HCH is the most recalcitrant because of its higher energetic stability due to the equatorial position of all six chlorine atoms in the chair cyclohexane conformation; in addition, few reports are available about its metabolic breakdown. For this characteristic, it is usually the predominant isomer remaining in soils and in animal tissue and can still be detected at low background environmental levels. The improper disposal of huge amounts of β-HCH led to the generation of contaminated sites in several parts of the world (Italy, Turkey, Spain, Kazakhstan, Canada, India, China, Russia, Poland, Germany, Argentine): this classifies “lindane’s contamination” as one of the environmental catastrophe of global proportions on the planetary scale. A detailed epidemiological study, ongoing since 2006, has found correlation between high blood levels of β-HCH and the occurrence of a wide range of diseases in a sample of 660 exposed patients living close the Valle del Sacco, south of Rome. The Valle del Sacco, in fact, is characterized by the presence of a large industrial conglomerate in which lindane production has been stopped in 70’s. Although the biomonitoring study highlighted a link between β-HCH contamination and the incidence of several pathological conditions, few data are currently available in the scientific literature regarding the molecular mechanism of β-HCH. For this reason, our laboratory is investigating since 2015 the intracellular effects of β-HCH with a particular focus on its impact on cancer cells. In a first published study, experiments were carried out on a panel of cells representing different human tumor types (i.e. liver, lungs, prostate, breast) associated with the expression and activation of specific receptors or kinases that are related to STAT3 activity. The experimental concentration of 10 µM for β-HCH was chosen averaging across all the plasma concentration values detected in patients under the biomonitoring study carried out in the Valle del Sacco, in order to reproduce the real exposure conditions. After evaluating the effects of β-HCH on cellular viability, different types of analysis were performed to identify the transduction cascades involved in the molecular responses to β-HCH. Obtained results established that β-HCH can activate cell-line specific pathways that all converge in STAT3 activation. Then, a special focus was placed on investigating the putative role of β-HCH in prostate cancer progression; in fact, literature data, together with our previous findings, suggest that β-HCH could have an endocrine disrupting activity by interfering with Androgen Receptor (AR) signaling. To confirm this hypothesis, LNCaP cells (hormone-sensitive prostate cancer cell line) were treated with β-HCH or testosterone in the presence or absence of the chemotherapeutic agent bicalutamide. The outcomes show that AR nuclear translocation occurs upon both β-HCH and testosterone treatment, whereas is inhibited in the presence of bicalutamide, as evidenced by immunoblotting analysis on nuclear extracts and immunofluorescence experiments. Subsequently, was verified whether β-HCH could affect the activity of AhR (Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor), the xenobiotic sensor par excellence, in both hormone-dependent and independent tumor types. Immunofluorescence analysis evidenced the capability of β-HCH to induce AhR nuclear translocation. In addition, immunoblotting analysis were performed on cells treated with β-HCH in the presence or not of MG-132 (proteasome inhibitor) and CH223191 (AhR inhibitor) and obtained results clearly highlighted the influence of β-HCH on AhR signaling. Then, experiments were performed to investigate whether β-HCH, on par with other organochlorine pesticides, can induce oxidative stress. For this purpose, ROS production and GSSG/GSH ratio were measured, evidencing the impact of β-HCH on cellular redox homeostasis. In parallel, variations in cellular bioenergetic profile were monitored, demonstrating that β-HCH promote a metabolic shift toward aerobic glycolysis. In this altered context, β-HCH can also induce DNA damage through H2AX phosphorylation. Subsequently, the potential role of β-HCH as a contributor in tumor initiation was inspected. Experiments were carried out on a continuous normal bronchial epithelium cell line to investigate whether β-HCH could trigger cellular malignant transformation toward cancer development. For this reason, β-HCH impact was evaluated on cells viability and morphology and some markers for tumorigenesis, as Ki67 positive-cells and EGF secretion, were studied along with β-HCH activation pathways. Experimental outcomes strongly support the oncogenic potential of this molecule. Considering the capability of β-HCH to promote cell growth and tumor progression, the next question to answer is whether the exposure to β-HCH may lead to a loss of response to chemotherapeutic agents such as tyrosine kinases inhibitors. Experiments carried out on a HER2-positive lung cancer cell line revealed that β-HCH can counteract the inhibitory activity of lapatinib, leading to a higher cell proliferation rate via STAT3 activation. Further investigations were conducted using other chemotherapeutic agents (cisplatin, camptothecin and paclitaxel) and preliminar results seem to confirm the loss of sensitivity to drugs in the presence of β-HCH. From an environmental point of view, the persistence of β-HCH still represents an open question for the presence of massive illegal repositories all around the world. For this reason, β-HCH degradation through a copper-based Fenton-like method was explored by setting up a HPLC protocol under different experimental conditions. The process focused on the quantitative degradation of the parental β-HCH, since the detection of its breakdown products or transformed molecules would need a mass-spectrometry for their qualitative characterization. In parallel with the β-HCH research topic, the role of the protein STAT3 in prostate cancer was further deepened. STAT3 (Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3) is a converging point for many signaling cascades and has been reported constitutively activated in a wide range of solid tumors and hematological malignancies. STAT3 is a latent cytosolic transcription factor and upregulates the expression of genes involved in cell survival and proliferation upon a wide variety of stimuli, including cytokines, oncogenes, growth factors or cytosolic kinases. The dynamic biological behavior of STAT3 can explain the higher proliferation rate triggered by β-HCH through the activation of STAT3-mediated pathways. STAT3 fulfils its multifaceted molecular functions through two different intracellular mechanisms, generally referred as canonical and non-canonical pathways. The canonical activation of STAT3 is strictly dependent on its phosphorylation at the tyrosine residue 705; upon phosphorylation at Y705, induced by the binding of a ligand to its receptor, STAT3 undergoes homodimerization to form an active dimer that can translocate to nucleus and mediates its transcriptional activity. Besides its well-described canonical signaling, STAT3 can be subjected to alternative post-translational modifications. In addition, recent studies assessed the involvement of STAT3, by means of both its canonical and non-canonical pathway, in the metabolic shift toward aerobic glycolysis known as Warburg Effect, which is typical of the more aggressive tumor phenotypes. On the basis of these premises, the existence of a link between PTMs and specific STAT3-mediated pathways was investigated in LNCaP (less aggressive PCa form) and DU-145 (more aggressive) cells performing experiments that simulated inflammatory and oxidative-stress conditions. Cells were treated with IL-6 to induce an inflammatory response, whereas tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) was used to simulate oxidative stress. Obtained results on cellular models confirmed the relationship between STAT3 PTMs and cellular conditions, thereby reinforcing the hypothesis that PTMs can drive intracellular responses through STAT3-mediated signaling pathways. Thus, it is possible to identify STAT3 PTMs and STAT3 modulators as suitable markers or targets for PCa prevention, diagnosis and therapy. Then the role of STAT3 in prostate cancer energy metabolism was further investigated, with particular focus on the protein SHMT2 (Serine-Hydroxymethyltransferase). Results indicate that SHMT2 is an active player in STAT3 signaling and that its expression is upregulated by the JAK2/STAT3 canonical pathway upon IL-6 stimulation. Experiments were carried out on two different prostate cancer cell lines, LNCaP (less aggressive) and DU145 (more aggressive). The observation was extended to PCa formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections obtained from total prostatectomies: collected specimens are characterized by a different Gleason score, ranging from 6 (less aggressive) to 9 (more aggressive). In both cell lines, STAT3 activation mode, the amount and distribution of PKM2, SHMT2, and HIF-1a proteins, as well as the cellular metabolic conditions, were evaluated in the presence or absence of IL-6-induced inflammation. Expression levels of PKM2, SHMT2, and HIF-1a, together with interleukin-6, were also analyzed utilizing normal and tumor FFPE tissues. / Doctorat en Sciences agronomiques et ingénierie biologique / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo a produção de ânodos de mistura de óxidos metálicos de composição nominal Ti/Ru0,3Ti0,7O2 utilizando um líquido iônico como solvente no preparo da solução precursora. A utilização deste tipo de solvente permite a síntese de materiais com morfologia e estrutura específicas, visto sua influência nas propriedades dos materiais. Neste trabalho foram utilizados líquidos iônicos baseados no imidazol, com o intuito de avaliar os efeitos do tamanho da cadeia carbônica ligada ao anel aromático heterocíclico, utilizando para comparação um eletrodo comercial (De Nora do Brasil). Por meio da caracterização física foi possível verificar que os eletrodos produzidos no laboratório apresentaram um filme mais compacto e com a formação de grânulos, o que indica um aumento na densidade de metais depositados. Além disso, o aumento na temperatura de calcinação favoreceu a deposição do óxido metálico catalítico (RuO2) na superfície do eletrodo ao se utilizar o hidrogenossulfato de 1-butilimidazólio ([HBIm]HSO4) como solvente na solução precursora. O eletrodo comercial apresentou uma área superficial superior aos eletrodos produzidos no laboratório, sendo a maior parte dessa área referente aos sítios internos desse eletrodo. O ânodo produzido utilizando [HBIm]HSO4 calcinado a 550 °C apresentou 15% mais remoção do pesticida alaclor em meio de sulfato que o eletrodo comercial, além de um consumo energético 16% menor. No caso das eletrólises realizadas na presença de cloreto, houve uma menor remoção do pesticida, apesar da melhora na resposta eletroquímica dos eletrodos nesse meio. Esse desempenho negativo pode estar relacionado à geração de substâncias que apresentam aderência à superfície dos eletrodos durante o processo de oxidação, obstruindo parcialmente a superfície ativa. / The present work aims to the production of mixed metal oxide anodes with nominal composition Ti/Ru0,3Ti0,7O2 using an ionic liquid as solvent in the preparation of the precursor solution. The use of this type of solvent allows the synthesis of materials with specific morphology and structure, since their influence on the properties of the materials. In this work, ionic liquids based on imidazole were used in order to evaluate the effects of the carbon chain size bonded to the heterocyclic aromatic ring, using a commercial electrode (De Nora do Brasil) for comparison. By means of the physical characterization, it was possible to verify that the laboratory made electrodes presented a more compact film with formation of granules, which indicates an increase in the deposited metal density. Moreover, the increase in the calcination temperature favored the deposition of the catalytic metal oxide (RuO2) on the surface of the electrode by using 1-butylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate ([HBIm]HSO4) as the solvent in the precursor solution. The commercial electrode presented a surface area superior to the laboratory made anodes, being the greater part of that area referring to the internal sites of this electrode. The anode produced using [HBIm]HSO4 calcined at 550 °C showed 15% more alachlor removal in sulfate medium than the commercial electrode, in addition to a 16% lower energy consumption. In the case of the electrolysis carried out in the presence of chloride, there was less pesticide removal, despite the improvement in the electrochemical response of the electrodes in this medium. This negative performance may be related to the generation of substances that have adhesion to the surface of the electrodes during the oxidation process, partially obstructing the active surface.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo a produção de ânodos de mistura de óxidos metálicos de composição nominal Ti/Ru0,3Ti0,7O2 utilizando um líquido iônico como solvente no preparo da solução precursora. A utilização deste tipo de solvente permite a síntese de materiais com morfologia e estrutura específicas, visto sua influência nas propriedades dos materiais. Neste trabalho foram utilizados líquidos iônicos baseados no imidazol, com o intuito de avaliar os efeitos do tamanho da cadeia carbônica ligada ao anel aromático heterocíclico, utilizando para comparação um eletrodo comercial (De Nora do Brasil). Por meio da caracterização física foi possível verificar que os eletrodos produzidos no laboratório apresentaram um filme mais compacto e com a formação de grânulos, o que indica um aumento na densidade de metais depositados. Além disso, o aumento na temperatura de calcinação favoreceu a deposição do óxido metálico catalítico (RuO2) na superfície do eletrodo ao se utilizar o hidrogenossulfato de 1-butilimidazólio ([HBIm]HSO4) como solvente na solução precursora. O eletrodo comercial apresentou uma área superficial superior aos eletrodos produzidos no laboratório, sendo a maior parte dessa área referente aos sítios internos desse eletrodo. O ânodo produzido utilizando [HBIm]HSO4 calcinado a 550 °C apresentou 15% mais remoção do pesticida alaclor em meio de sulfato que o eletrodo comercial, além de um consumo energético 16% menor. No caso das eletrólises realizadas na presença de cloreto, houve uma menor remoção do pesticida, apesar da melhora na resposta eletroquímica dos eletrodos nesse meio. Esse desempenho negativo pode estar relacionado à geração de substâncias que apresentam aderência à superfície dos eletrodos durante o processo de oxidação, obstruindo parcialmente a superfície ativa. / The present work aims to the production of mixed metal oxide anodes with nominal composition Ti/Ru0,3Ti0,7O2 using an ionic liquid as solvent in the preparation of the precursor solution. The use of this type of solvent allows the synthesis of materials with specific morphology and structure, since their influence on the properties of the materials. In this work, ionic liquids based on imidazole were used in order to evaluate the effects of the carbon chain size bonded to the heterocyclic aromatic ring, using a commercial electrode (De Nora do Brasil) for comparison. By means of the physical characterization, it was possible to verify that the laboratory made electrodes presented a more compact film with formation of granules, which indicates an increase in the deposited metal density. Moreover, the increase in the calcination temperature favored the deposition of the catalytic metal oxide (RuO2) on the surface of the electrode by using 1-butylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate ([HBIm]HSO4) as the solvent in the precursor solution. The commercial electrode presented a surface area superior to the laboratory made anodes, being the greater part of that area referring to the internal sites of this electrode. The anode produced using [HBIm]HSO4 calcined at 550 °C showed 15% more alachlor removal in sulfate medium than the commercial electrode, in addition to a 16% lower energy consumption. In the case of the electrolysis carried out in the presence of chloride, there was less pesticide removal, despite the improvement in the electrochemical response of the electrodes in this medium. This negative performance may be related to the generation of substances that have adhesion to the surface of the electrodes during the oxidation process, partially obstructing the active surface.

Le cancer de la prostate (CaP) est la pathologie tumorale la plus fréquente chez les hommes dans les pays occidentaux. L’âge avancé, les origines ethno-géographiques et la présence d’antécédents familiaux de CaP sont les principaux facteurs de risque clairement établis. Les expositions aux substances chimiques issues de l’activité humaine, en particuliers ceux présentant des propriétés hormonales (perturbateurs endocriniens), sont suspectées. L’objectif général cette thèse est d’étudier le rôle de certains polluants universels présentant des propriétés hormonales, tels que le DDE (principal métabolite du DDT) et les PCBs, ainsi que celui des polymorphismes de gènes codant pour des enzymes intervenant dans le métabolisme des xénobiotiques (GSTM1, GSTT1) et des œstrogènes (CYP17, CYP19, CYP1B1, COMT, UGT1A1) dans la survenue du CaP ou de sa récidive après traitement par prostatectomie radicale. Ce projet s’appuie sur les données obtenues lors de l’étude cas-témoins en population générale en Guadeloupe (KARUPROSTATE) et de la file active des cas traités par prostatectomie radicale. / Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequent type of cancer in Western countries. Advanced age, ethno-geographic origin and the presence of a family history of CaP are the main clearly established risk factors. The effects of exposure to synthetic chemicals with hormonal properties, also called endocrine disruptors (EDCs), on PCa are also are suspected. The main objective of this thesis is to evaluate the relationships between plasma concentration of persistent organochlorine pollutants with hormonal properties, such as DDE (the main metabolite of DDT) and PCBs as well polymorphisms of selected genes involved in xenobiotic (GSTM1, GSTT1) and estrogens (CYP17, CYP19, CYP1B1, COMT, UGT1A1) metabolism, and the occurrence of PCa or its recurrence after treatment with radical prostatectomy. This project is based on data obtained from the population-based case-control study (KARUPROSTATE) in Guadeloupe and from cases treated by radical prostatectomy.

Les gènes du métabolisme des xénobiotiques (MX) impliqués dans l’activation et l’élimination des cancérogènes environnementaux pourraient moduler le risque de cancer du sein, mais leurs effets dans ce cancer ont été peu étudiés et sont mal connus. Les objectifs de la thèse étaient d’étudier le rôle des gènes MX dans le cancer du sein d’une part, et dans les niveaux biologiques de cancérogènes mammaires suspectés, d’autre part. Les analyses ont porté sur les données d’une étude cas-témoins en population sur les cancers du sein (étude CECILE). L’association avec le cancer du sein a été étudiée (1) avec les variants du gène NAT2 qui déterminent le type d’acétyleur lent ou rapide de chaque individu ; (2) les polymorphismes des gènes MX étudiés conjointement au niveau de chacun des gènes et au niveau de l’ensemble du pathway à l’aide d’une méthode exploratoire de type « gene-set ». Dans chacune de ces approches, les interactions avec la consommation de tabac ont été étudiées. Dans une dernière partie, nous avons cherché à identifier les polymorphismes des gènes MX prédictifs des concentrations sanguines de polluants organochlorés persistants (p,p’-DDE et PCB153) chez les témoins de l’étude CECILE. Le risque de cancer du sein était augmenté chez les femmes ayant un profil génétique NAT2 d’acétyleuses rapides par rapport aux femmes ayant un profil d’acétyleuses lentes. Parmi les acétyleuses lentes, les femmes fumeuses avaient un risque de cancer du sein augmenté par rapport aux non fumeuses indiquant l’existence d’une interaction tabac-NAT2. L’approche « gene-set » montrait que les polymorphismes au niveau de plusieurs gènes MX et au niveau de l’ensemble du pathway étaient associés collectivement au cancer du sein. L’association entre le cancer du sein et l’ensemble des polymorphismes du pathway XM était observée chez les fumeuses, indiquant le rôle de la consommation de tabac dans cette association. Enfin, nous avons montré l’effet du gène CYP2B6 en tant que déterminant des niveaux sanguins de p,p’-DDE et PCB153. Nos résultats mettent en évidence un rôle des gènes XM dans le cancer du sein qui peut être expliqué par leur fonction dans le métabolisme et l’élimination des cancérogènes environnementaux. / The xenobiotic metabolism (XM) genes involved in the activation and elimination of environmental carcinogens may modulate breast cancer risk, but their effects in breast cancer have been little studied and are poorly understood. The objectives of the PhD were to study the role of XM genes in breast cancer on the one hand, and in the biological levels of suspected breast carcinogens on the other. The analyses were based on a population-based case-control study on breast cancer (CECILE study). We investigated the association of breast cancer (1) with NAT2 gene variants that determine the type of slow or rapid acetylator in each individual; (2) with polymorphisms of XM genes that were studied jointly at the gene and at the XM pathway level using a gene set method. In each of these approaches, interactions with tobacco consumption were studied. In a final section, we sought to identify polymorphisms of XM genes that predict blood concentrations of persistent organochlorine pollutants (p,p'-DDE and PCB153) among the controls of the CECILE study.The risk of breast cancer was increased in women with a NAT2 genetic profile of rapid acetylators compared to women with a profile of slow acetylators. Among slow acetylators, current smokers had an increased risk of breast cancer compared to non-smokers, indicating an interaction between tobacco smoking and NAT2 genotype. The gene set approach showed that polymorphisms at the level of some XM genes and at the level of the entire pathway were collectively associated with breast cancer. The association between breast cancer and all pathway XM polymorphisms was observed in female smokers, indicating a role for tobacco smoking in this association. Finally, we have shown that CYP2B6 gene was a determinant of blood levels of p,p'-DDE and PCB153. Our results highlight a role of XM genes in breast cancer that is explained by their function in the metabolism and elimination of environmental carcinogens.