Bisphenol A triggers the malignancy of acute myeloid leukemia cells via regulation of IL‐4 and IL‐6

Abstract Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of hematopoietic stem cells with a rapid progression. The progression of AML can be regulated by estrogenic signals. Our present data showed that an industrial endocrine‐disrupting chemical, bisphenol A (BPA), can promote the proliferation of AML cells and decrease their sensitivity to daunorubicin and cytarabine treatment. Among the tested cytokines, BPA treatment can decrease the expression of interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) while increasing the expression of IL‐6. Overexpression of IL‐4 or neutralization antibody of IL‐6 (anti‐IL‐6) can attenuate BPA‐induced proliferation of AML cells and reverse BPA‐suppressed chemosensitivity. Furthermore, activation of nuclear factor kappa B is essential for BPA‐induced upregulation of IL‐6 in AML cells. As to IL‐4, BPA can increase the expression of NFAT1 to inhibit its transcription. Collectively, our data showed that BPA can trigger the malignancy of AML cells via regulation of IL‐4 and IL‐6.