Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a very small subpopulation that have stem-cell qualities, such as exhibiting self-renewal, immortality, and pluripotency, and the capability to differentiate into different
tumor cell subtypes. CSCs contribute to
tumor onset, expansion,
metastasis, resistance and recurrence. Meanwhile, organic
pollutants, including nonpersistent
pollutants, such as
bisphenol A (BPA), and persistent
pollutants, such as
polychlorinated biphenyls (
PCBs), are toxic chemicals that can be readily ingested via dietary exposure and other exposure routes and can accumulate through the food chain. Many organic
pollutants increase the risk of
ovarian cancer depending on their
estrogenic effects. Nonetheless, most previous studies have focused on the toxic effects of these
pollutants on the proliferation,
metastasis and development of
ovarian cancer cells. However, little research has investigated the adverse effect of these
pollutants on
ovarian cancer stem cells. The current study found that BPA,
PCB126 and
PCB153 greatly enhanced the formation of
cancer stem-like cell spheres of OVCAR-3 cells (human
ovarian cancer cells) under low-dose exposure. In parallel, the CD44highCD24low cell subpopulation was increased in treated cells relative to untreated cells. Elevated expression of cancer stem cell markers, including ALDH1A1, CD133, SOX2, NANOG and OCT4, was demonstrated in treated cells compared to untreated cells. In summary, these data demonstrate that the oncogenic effects of
pollutants can be evaluated according to changes in caner stem cell properties.