In vitro estrogen receptor binding of PCBs: measured activity and detection of hydroxylated metabolites in a recombinant yeast assay

Use of trout liver slices to enhance mechanistic interpretation of estrogen receptor binding for cost-effective prioritization of chemicals within large inventories

The cost of testing chemicals as reproductive toxicants precludes the possibility of evaluating large chemical inventories without a robust strategyfor prioritizing chemicals to test. The use of quantitative structure-activity relationships in early hazard identification is a cost-effective prioritization tool, but in the absence of systematic collection of interpretable test data upon which models are formulated, these techniques fall short of their intended use. An approach is presented for narrowing the focus of candidate ED chemicals using two in vitro assays: one optimized to measure the potential of chemicals to bind rainbow trout estrogen receptors (rtER), and a second to enhance interpretation of receptor binding data in a relevant biological system (i.e., fish liver tissue). Results of rtER competitive binding assays for 16 chemicals yielded calculable relative binding affinities (RBA) from 179 to 0.0006% for 13 chemicals and partial or no binding for an additional 3 chemicals. Eleven lower to no affinity chemicals (RBA < 0.1%) were further tested in trout liver slices to measure induction of rtER-dependent vitellogenin (VTG) mRNA in the presence of chemical passive partitioning (from media to multiple hepatocyte layers in the slice) and liver xenobiotic metabolism. VTG induction in slices was observed in a concentration-dependent manner for eight chemicals tested that had produced complete displacement curves in binding assays, including the lowest affinity binder with an RBA of 0.0006%. Two chemicals with only partial binding curves up to their solubility limit did not induce VTG. The monohydroxy metabolite of methoxychlor was the only chemical tested that apparently bound rtER but did not induce VTG mRNA. Data are presented illustrating the utility of the two assays in combination for interpreting the role of metabolism in VTG induction, as well as the sensitivity of the assays for measuring enantiomer selective binding and ER-mediated induction. The combined approach appears particularly useful in interpreting the potential relevance of extremely low affinity chemical binding to fish receptors (RBA = 0.01-0.0001%) within a defined toxicity pathway as a basis for prioritizing within large chemical inventories of environmental concern.

Comparative effects of technical toxaphene, 2,5-dichloro-3-biphenylol and octabromodiphenylether on cell viability, [Ca2+]i levels and membrane fluidity in mouse thymocytes

Flow cytometric studies of mouse thymocytes show that technical toxaphene (10-20 ppm) and 2,5-dichloro-3-biphenylol (PCB 9-OH) (5-10 ppm) kill cells and cause an increase in intracellular calcium concentration, [Ca2+]i, whereas commercial octabromodiphenylether (OBDE) has no effect. The cell death is not a result of the rise of [Ca2+]i, since the divalent cation ionophore, ionomycin, causes a large elevation in [Ca2+]i without cell death. We have studied effects of these compounds on membrane fluorescence polarization, a measure of membrane fluidity, using 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH). We find that toxaphene causes a decrease in membrane fluidity in the concentration range associated with cell death, whereas PCB 9-OH causes an increase in fluidity and OBDE has no effect. These observations suggest that alterations of membrane fluidity of thymocytes, whether it be an increase or decrease, can cause cytotoxicity.

Suppression of aromatase activity in vitro by PCBs 28 and 105 and Aroclor 1221

The effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on human cytochrome P450 aromatase activity in vitro were investigated using a commercially available microsomal fraction obtained from baculovirus infected insects that had been transfected with the human CYP19 gene and cytochrome P450 reductase. The assay measured the conversion of tritiated testosterone to estradiol in Tris buffer at pH 7.4. When aroclors, commercial preparations of PCBs, were added to aromatase assays at a 10 microM concentration, Aroclor 1221 caused a reduction in the aromatase activity, whereas other aroclors (1016, 1232, 1242, 1248, 1254, 1260, 5432, 5442 and 5460) were without effect. Further investigation of the effect of Aroclor 1221 on aromatase activity showed that the inhibition was dose dependent. When a reconstituted mixture (RM) of PCBs that represented the congeneric content of human milk was investigated, no inhibition of aromatase activity at the maximum treatment of 15.0 microM was observed. None of the congeners present in the reconstituted mixture, except PCB 28 and 105, affected P450 arom activity. PCB 28 showed a statistically significant inhibition of aromatase activity (P<0.05) at 1.5 and 15 microM and a significant inhibition of aromatase activity by PCB 105 was also observed, but only at 15 microM. In three separate kinetic analyses the Km(app) for aromatase was 64, 89 and 69 nM (mean 74 nM). In addition, PCB 28 resulted in an increase in the Km(app) without a significant effect on Vmax(app), suggesting competitive inhibition by this congener. This conclusion was supported by slope (Km(app)/Vmax(app) versus [inhibitor]) and intercept (1/Vmax(app) versus [inhibitor]) replots. The slope replots gave Ki(app) values for PCB 28 of 0.9, 1.3 and 2.0 microM (mean 1.4 microM), whereas intercept replots were almost horizontal. Thus, PCB 28 is a competitive inhibitor of aromatase with a Ki(app) value approximately 20-fold the Km(app) value. Based on these studies, we conclude that most PCBs are not inhibitors of aromatase activity in vitro. However, as being inhibitors of aromatase activity, Aroclor 1221, PCB 28 and PCB 105 would remain a priority for further study as possible endocrine disrupters.

Steroid hormone biotransformation and xenobiotic induction of hepatic steroid metabolizing enzymes

Normal reproductive development depends on the interplay of steroid hormones with their receptors at specific tissue sites. The concentrations of hormone ligands in the circulation and at target sites are maintained through coordinated regulation on steroid biosynthesis and degradation. Changed bioavailability of steroids, through alteration of steroidogenesis or biotransformation rates, leads to changes in endocrine function. Steroid hormones lose their receptor reactivity in most cases when they are bound to binding proteins, while metabolic conversion can result in either active or inactive metabolites. Hydroxylation by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes and conjugation with glucuronide and sulfate are among the major hepatic pathways of steroid inactivation. The expression of these biotransformation enzymes can be induced by many xenobiotics. The barbiturate phenobarbital and the environmental toxicant 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDE) are among the well characterized inducers for the CYP 2B and 3A enzymes and selected conjugation enzymes. The induction of the steroid biotransformation enzymes is partly mediated through the activation of a group of nuclear receptors including the glucocorticoid receptor, the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), the pregnane X receptor (PXR), and the peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPAR). Drug or chemical-induced increases in hepatic enzyme activities are often a basis for drug-drug interactions that lead to enhanced elimination and reduced therapeutic efficacy of steroidal drugs. The effects of enzyme induction on endogenous steroid clearance, along with its possible consequence, are less well understood. While enzyme induction by xenobiotics may increase clearance of the endogenous steroid, regulatory mechanisms for steroid homeostasis may adapt and compensate for altered clearance.

Increased serum polychlorobiphenyl levels in Belgian women with adenomyotic nodules of the rectovaginal septum

The sum of bulk polychlorobiphenyl levels was significantly higher in women with rectovaginal adenomyosis than in women with endometriosis and controls.

Assessment of xenoestrogenic exposure by a biomarker approach: application of the E-Screen bioassay to determine estrogenic response of serum extracts

BACKGROUND

Epidemiological documentation of endocrine disruption is complicated by imprecise exposure assessment, especially when exposures are mixed. Even if the estrogenic activity of all compounds were known, the combined effect of possible additive and/or inhibiting interaction of xenoestrogens in a biological sample may be difficult to predict from chemical analysis of single compounds alone. Thus, analysis of mixtures allows evaluation of combined effects of chemicals each present at low concentrations.

METHODS

We have developed an optimized in vitro E-Screen test to assess the combined functional estrogenic response of human serum. The xenoestrogens in serum were separated from endogenous steroids and pharmaceuticals by solid-phase extraction followed by fractionation by high-performance liquid chromatography. After dissolution of the isolated fraction in ethanol-DMSO, the reconstituted extract was added with estrogen-depleted fetal calf serum to MCF-7 cells, the growth of which is stimulated by estrogen. After a 6-day incubation on a microwell plate, cell proliferation was assessed and compared with the effect of a 17-beta-estradiol standard.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

To determine the applicability of this approach, we assessed the estrogenicity of serum samples from 30 pregnant and 60 non-pregnant Danish women thought to be exposed only to low levels of endocrine disruptors. We also studied 211 serum samples from pregnant Faroese women, whose marine diet included whale blubber that contain a high concentration of persistent halogenated pollutants. The estrogenicity of the serum from Danish controls exceeded the background in 22.7 % of the cases, while the same was true for 68.1 % of the Faroese samples. The increased estrogenicity response did not correlate with the lipid-based concentrations of individual suspected endocrine disruptors in the Faroese samples. When added along with the estradiol standard, an indication of an enhanced estrogenic response was found in most cases. Thus, the in vitro estrogenicity response offers a promising and feasible approach for an aggregated exposure assessment for xenoestrogens in serum.

Endocrine disruptors: effects on male fertility and screening tools for their assessment

During the recent decades, a lot of research has been performed concerning the so-called "endocrine disruptors", which are widespread in the environment. These compounds of anthropogenic or natural origin mimic the action of sex hormones and can interfere with the endocrine system. The largest body of evidence exists for those compounds that are estrogenic in nature, but the amount of experimental data on other types of interactions, especially anti-androgenic, steadily increases. Because of the growing public and scientific concern, epidemiological studies have been initiated to analyse the short and long-term effects of endocrine disruptors. In addition, a number of assays have been developed and are undergoing validation, aiming at high throughput screening of chemical agents with suspected endocrine disrupting properties. In the present review, we briefly describe the results of epidemiological studies dealing with observed time trends in male fertility disorders. In the second part of the article, an overview is given of the different classes of endocrine disruptors, followed by a description of the most important in vitro and in vivo bioassays, used to screen for the possible endocrine disruptive capacity of chemicals, together with future research needs for in vitro test development.