Mechanisms of bisphenols-induced cervical cancer: A multidimensional bioinformatics analysis
Bisphenols are widely used industrial chemicals with endocrine-disrupting properties, and their potential association with carcinogenesis has drawn considerable attention. Cervical cancer, as a prevalent gynecological malignancy, has a pathogenesis that is not yet fully understood, particularly regarding the influence of environmental factors. In this study, we systematically investigated the molecular effects of bisphenols on cervical cancer using multi-dimensional bioinformatics approaches. WGCNA analysis identified key modules closely associated with the disease, which were integrated with predicted bisphenols targets to screen for core genes, including AR, CDC25C, CDK2, and KIF11. Functional enrichment analysis suggested that bisphenols may disrupt cell cycle regulation, the G2/M checkpoint, and p53-mediated tumor suppressor pathways. Molecular docking and 100-ns molecular dynamics simulations indicated that various bisphenols can stably bind to core target proteins, with binding patterns influenced by halogenation or aromatic substitutions. Gene expression and immunohistochemical analyses showed that CDC25C, CDK2, and KIF11 were significantly upregulated in cervical cancer tissues, whereas AR was predominantly expressed in normal epithelium. Immune infiltration analysis further suggested that CDC25C, CDK2, and KIF11 may modulate the infiltration of B cells, CD8⁺ T cells, and macrophages, implying that bisphenols-induced molecular perturbations could impact the tumor microenvironment. This study provides a reference for further exploration of the links between environmental exposures and cervical cancer development and lays a foundation for mechanistic investigations.