Gut microbiota regulates various aspects of human physiology by producing metabolites, metabolizing enzymes, and toxins. Many studies have linked microbiota with human health and altered microbiome configurations with the occurrence of several diseases, including cancer. Accumulating evidence suggests that the microbiome can influence the initiation and progression of several cancers. Moreover, some microbiotas of the gut and oral cavity have been reported to infect tumors, initiate metastasis, and promote the spread of cancer to distant organs, thereby influencing the clinical outcome of cancer patients. The gut microbiome has recently been reported to interact with environmental factors such as diet and exposure to environmental toxicants. Exposure to environmental pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) induces a shift in the gut microbiome metabolic pathways, favoring a proinflammatory microenvironment. In addition, other studies have also correlated cancer incidence with exposure to PAHs. PAHs are known to induce organ carcinogenesis through activating a ligand-activated transcriptional factor termed the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which metabolizes PAHs to highly reactive carcinogenic intermediates. However, the crosstalk between AhR and the microbiome in mediating carcinogenesis is poorly reviewed. This review aims to discuss the role of exposure to environmental pollutants and activation of AhR on microbiome-associated cancer progression and explore the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in cancer development.

中文翻译：

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揭开秘密：探索芳烃受体和微生物组对癌症发展的影响

肠道微生物群通过产生代谢物、代谢酶和毒素来调节人体生理学的各个方面。许多研究将微生物群与人类健康联系起来，并将微生物群结构的改变与包括癌症在内的多种疾病的发生联系起来。越来越多的证据表明，微生物组可以影响多种癌症的发生和进展。此外，据报道，肠道和口腔的一些微生物群会感染肿瘤，引发转移，并促进癌症扩散到远处器官，从而影响癌症患者的临床结果。最近有报道称，肠道微生物组与饮食和接触环境毒物等环境因素相互作用。接触多环芳烃 (PAH) 等环境污染物会导致肠道微生物组代谢途径发生变化，有利于促炎性微环境。此外，其他研究也将癌症发病率与多环芳烃暴露联系起来。众所周知，PAH 可通过激活配体激活的转录因子（称为芳烃受体 (AhR)）诱导器官癌变，该转录因子将 PAH 代谢为高反应性致癌中间体。然而，AhR 和微生物组在介导致癌过程中的相互作用却鲜有评论。本综述旨在讨论环境污染物暴露和 AhR 激活对微生物组相关癌症进展的作用，并探讨癌症发生的潜在分子机制。