Female night-workers get exposed to frequent light shifts, hence have altered circadian rhythm and are at high risk of
endometrial cancer; the underlying mechanism however is still not clear. We, therefore examined the effect of long light exposure (16L:8D, LD1) and regular shift (8 h) in long nighttime (LD2) on endometrial changes of female golden hamsters. Morphometric analysis, scanning electron microscopy imaging,
alcian blue staining, and cytological nuclear atypia of endometrial stromal cells confirmed the incidence of endometrial
adenocarcinoma in LD2 exposed hamsters. But, less severe pathomorphological alterations were noted in uterus of LD1 exposed hamsters. Altered Aanat and Bmal1
mRNA,
melatonin rhythm, downregulation of important marker gene of
adenocarcinoma like Akt, 14-3-3, and PR
protein expression and upregulation PKCα, pAkt-S473 and vascular epithelial
growth factor (
VEGF) were observed in LD2 exposed hamsters suggesting the endometrial
adenocarcinoma. Further, our western blot analysis supported the immunohistochemical localization of PR, PKCα, and
VEGF in uterine tissues along low
progesterone. Overall, our data indicates that light shift and long light exposure potentially induced
endometrioid adenocarcinoma via activation of PKC-α/Akt pathway in female hamsters. Therefore, duration of light is essential for female normal uterine function.