Regulation of adhesion and migration of bovine oviductal epithelial cells by genistein

Abstract

The effect of dietary phytoestrogens such as genistein (GNT) is controversial. While some of its properties may be desirable in oncological contexts, in healthy tissues GNT may compromise health by affecting reproductive efficiency. This study aimed to investigate the effect of GNT on the functionality of bovine oviductal epithelial cells (BOEC) and to determine the effect on the adhesion and migratory potential of BOEC in culture. BOEC were treated with GNT at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 10 μM, and viability, adhesion, and migration were subsequently assessed. Cell viability remained close to 100% in most treatments and decreased only to 73% at the highest concentration (10 μM), confirming that GNT does not exert cytotoxic effects. However, adhesion to type I collagen was significantly reduced, even at the lowest concentration; this inhibitory effect became more pronounced at higher doses. Furthermore, in the migration assay, GNT at 1 μM and 5 μM severely inhibited cell migration. This was consistent with a significant downregulation in the mRNA levels of Focal Adhesion Kinase (PTK2) and Paxillin (PXN) with GNT, key genes encoding proteins involved in focal adhesion formation. These findings provide clear evidence of a molecular and cellular mechanism by which GNT impairs normal oviductal cell function, which may consequently compromise cattle fertility.