7,12‐Dimethylbenz[α]anthracene increases cell proliferation and invasion through induction of Wnt/β‐catenin signaling and EMT process

7,12‐Dimethylbenz[α]anthracene (DMBA) is a hazardous component present in polluted environments. DMBA has been used as an experimental tool for in vivo tumor formation owing to its carcinogenic effects, but the detailed molecular mechanism of DMBA has not been fully established. To comprehend the carcinogenic mechanism of DMBA, we explored its effects in the breast cancer cell lines, MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231, and the cervical cancer cell line, HeLa. Cell viability assay and measurement of a proliferation marker showed that DMBA markedly increased cancer cell proliferation. Furthermore, morphological observations and wound healing assays in nontumorigenic MCF‐10A cells and trans‐well invasion assays in cancer cells following DMBA treatment revealed that DMBA induced cell migration and invasion. To reveal the molecular mechanism of DMBA, we investigated the effects of DMBA on the epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and Wnt/β‐catenin signaling, a critical pathway for cell proliferation that was reported to correlate with the EMT process, by using quantitative RT‐PCR (qPCR), western blot analysis, and confocal microscopy. Consequently, we found that DMBA increased cancer cell proliferation and invasion through the promotion of EMT‐inducing factors and β‐catenin. Especially, it was revealed in promoter activity assay using mutated luciferase vectors on transcription factor‐binding sites that TWIST1 is promoted by DMBA through induction of STAT3‐mediated promoter activation. To further elucidate the detailed mechanism of DMBA, we aimed to identify the key regulator of its carcinogenic action. DMBA was shown to significantly upregulate the expression of specificity protein 1 (Sp1), a transcription factor, and the carcinogenic effects of DMBA were blocked via the suppression or interruption of Sp1 activity. In conclusion, our data suggested that DMBA induced carcinogenic effects through activation of Wnt/β‐catenin signaling and the EMT process by upregulating Sp1 activity.