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3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM) is an acid-catalyzed dimer of idole-3-carbinol (I3C), a phytochemical found in cruciferous vegetables that include broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. DIM is an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligand and a potential anticancer agent, namely for the treatment of breast cancer. It is also advertised as a compound that regulates sex hormone homeostasis.

Here we make use of RNA expression assays coupled to Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) in breast cancer cell lines to study the effect of DIM on estrogen signaling. We further make use of growth assays, as well as fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) assays, to monitor cell growth.

In this study, we report that ‘physiologically obtainable’ concentrations of DIM (10 μM) activate the estrogen …