Unraveling diethyl phthalate-induced prostate carcinogenesis: core targets revealed by integrated network toxicology, machine learning, and structural validation.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Diethyl phthalate (DEP), a widely distributed environmental contaminant, is epidemiologically linked to prostate cancer (PCa). However, its molecular mechanisms beyond endocrine disruption remain poorly defined. We aimed to investigate the core mechanisms potentially underlying DEP-associated prostate carcinogenesis within a genome-exposome interaction framework.

Methods

We employed an integrated, multi-level framework combining: (1) Integrated chemical structure-based target prediction; (2) Cross-dataset meta-analysis of PCa transcriptomics (7 GEO datasets) for Differentially Expressed Gene (DEG) identification and Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA); (3) Ensemble machine learning (113 models incorporating RF, XGBoost) for core target screening, aug

SUBMITTER: Liu H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12729194 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature