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2000
Volume 21, Issue 5
  • ISSN: 1573-3947
  • E-ISSN: 1875-6301

Abstract

Background

Oral contraceptives (OCs) are widely used to prevent pregnancy, particularly among reproductive-age women. Although undesired physiological consequences, such as increased susceptibility to cancer, have been suggested, the exact molecular mechanism is not well elucidated. Thereby, the current study aimed to assess the effects of OCs on the inflammatory markers and and gene-specific DNA methylation in the serum of OCs-exposed women.

Methods

The current cross-sectional study involved 70 adult women, 35 of whom had used oral contraceptive pills (OCP, 0.03 mg ethinyl estradiol, and 0.15 mg levonorgestrel) to prevent pregnancy, and 35 of whom had used condoms. The promoter methylation status of the two mentioned tumor suppressor genes was assessed by methylation-specific PCR. Moreover, serum levels of IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α were evaluated using the ELISA method.

Results

The findings revealed a significant difference in cytokines between groups ( <0.001). However, no significant differences were revealed regarding TNF-α between the two groups. Additionally, the frequency of promoter hypermethylation of and in OCP users was significantly higher ( <0.05).

Conclusion

The current findings suggested that OCP usage could increase serum levels of inflammatory markers and promote the hypermethylation of two suppressor genes. Hence, further studies are encouraged to reveal the association between OCP usage and cancer through hypermethylation of and and induction of inflammation.

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Increased Serum Levels of Inflammatory Markers and Promoter Hypermethylation of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in Oral Contraceptive Users
Curr Cancer Ther Rev 21, 749 (2025); https://doi.org/10.2174/0115733947310701240726043841
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Supp1: The data related to the promoter hypermethylation of BRCA genes. Supp2: The data related to the ELISA technique and the levels of inflammatory markers.

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  • Article Type:     Research Article
Keyword(s): cancer; Gene; inflammation; interleukin; methylation; pregnancy

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