Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant and endocrine disrupter, abundantly present in water, food, and soil. Accumulation of Cd in the body can negatively affect female reproduction; especially the uterus is exceptionally sensitive to the toxic actions of Cd. The anthocyanin cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) is a naturally occurring phenolic compound in fruits and plants that can antagonize the toxic effects of Cd. This capacity makes C3G a possible candidate to prevent Cd-induced female infertility. The present study aimed to investigate: 1) whether C3G intake could prevent Cd-induced female reproductive toxicity, and 2) the underlying mechanisms responsible for this protective effect. The results of our study indicated that Cd exposure did not affect ovarian function, but induced hypertrophy of the uterine endometrium. Oral intake of C3G markedly reduced the effects of Cd exposure on the thickness of the uterine epithelium cells. Transcriptomic analysis of the endometrium revealed that C3G intake had anti-estrogenic effects, attenuating Cd-induced endometrial epithelial cell proliferation by inhibiting estrogen-responsive genes, enhancing epithelial progesterone receptor expression, and regulating Klf4 expression. The current findings implicate that C3G has the potential to be used as a dietary supplement based on its capacity to intervene in Cd-induced female reproductive toxicity.

镉 (Cd) 是一种环境污染物和内分泌干扰物，大量存在于水、食物和土壤中。体内镉的积累会对女性生殖产生负面影响；尤其是子宫对镉的毒性作用异常敏感。花青素 cyanidin-3- O-葡萄糖苷 (C3G) 是水果和植物中天然存在的酚类化合物，可拮抗 Cd 的毒性作用。这种能力使 C3G 成为预防镉诱导的女性不孕症的可能候选者。本研究旨在调查：1）摄入 C3G 是否可以预防 Cd 诱导的女性生殖毒性，以及 2）造成这种保护作用的潜在机制。我们的研究结果表明，镉暴露不会影响卵巢功能，但会导致子宫内膜肥大。口服 C3G 显着降低了 Cd 暴露对子宫上皮细胞厚度的影响。子宫内膜的转录组学分析显示，摄入 C3G 具有抗雌激素作用，通过抑制雌激素反应基因来减弱 Cd 诱导的子宫内膜上皮细胞增殖，增强上皮孕激素受体表达，调节 Klf4 表达。目前的研究结果表明，C3G 有可能被用作膳食补充剂，因为它具有干预 Cd 诱导的女性生殖毒性的能力。