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Xian H, Li Z, Ye R, Dai M, Feng Y, Bai R, Guo J, Yan X, Yang X, Chen D, Huang Z. 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor triggers estrogenic effects via the brain-liver-gonad axis in zebrafish larvae. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 335:122260. [PMID: 37506809 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC), an emerging contaminant, is a widely-used ultraviolet (UV) filter incorporated into cosmetics because it protects the skin from UV rays and counters photo-oxidation. Despite the well-established estrogenic activity of 4-MBC, the link between this activity and its effects on neurobehavior and the liver remains unknown. Thus, we exposed zebrafish larvae to environmentally relevant concentrations of 4-MBC with 1.39, 4.17, 12.5 and 15.4 μg/mL from 3 to 5 days postfertilization. We found that 4-MBC produced an estrogenic effect by intensifying fluorescence in the transgenic zebrafish, which was counteracted by co-exposure with estrogen receptor antagonist. 4-MBC-upregulated estrogen receptor alpha (erα) mRNA, and an interaction between 4-MBC and ERα suggested ERα's involvement in the 4-MBC-induced estrogenic activity. RNA sequencing unearthed 4-MBC-triggered responses in estrogen stimulus and lipid metabolism. Additionally, 4-MBC-induced hypoactivity and behavioral phenotypes were dependent on the estrogen receptor (ER) pathway. This may have been associated with the disruption of acetylcholinesterase and acetylcholine activities. As a result, 4-MBC increased vitellogenin expression and caused lipid accumulation in the liver of zebrafish larvae. Collectively, this is the first study to report 4-MBC-caused estrogenic effects through the brain-liver-gonad axis. It provides novel insight into how 4-MBC perturbs the brain and liver development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyi Xian
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Safety Evaluation of Cosmetics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Zhiming Li
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Safety Evaluation of Cosmetics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Rongyi Ye
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Safety Evaluation of Cosmetics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Mingzhu Dai
- Hunter Biotechnology, Inc., Hangzhou, 310051, China
| | - Yu Feng
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Safety Evaluation of Cosmetics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Ruobing Bai
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Safety Evaluation of Cosmetics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Jie Guo
- Hunter Biotechnology, Inc., Hangzhou, 310051, China
| | - Xiliang Yan
- Institute of Environmental Research at Greater Bay Area, Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Xingfen Yang
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Safety Evaluation of Cosmetics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Da Chen
- School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Zhenlie Huang
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Safety Evaluation of Cosmetics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
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Schmidtkunz C, Küpper K, Weber T, Leng G, Kolossa-Gehring M. A time trend of urinary 4-methylbenzylidene camphor metabolites in young adults from Germany. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 228:115833. [PMID: 37028537 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) is used as a UV-B filter in cosmetics. Two oxidized metabolites of 4-MBC - 3-(4-carboxybenzylidene)camphor (cx-MBC) and 3-(4-carboxybenzylidene)-6-hydroxycamphor (cx-MBC-OH) - were analyzed in 250 24-h urine samples from young adults in Germany. The samples were from the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) and represented exposure in the years 1995, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2019. A UHPLC-MS/MS method enabled the sensitive determination of both metabolites, with limits of quantification at 0.15 μg L-1 (cx-MBC) and 0.30 μg L-1 (cx-MBC-OH), respectively. A temporal trend of the internal exposure to 4-MBC was clearly noticeable. The metabolite cx-MBC was frequently quantifiable at the beginning of the period: in 70% of the samples in 1995, and 56% in 2005. After 2005, urinary concentrations and detection rates of cx-MBC dropped to reach very low levels. In 2015 and 2019, the detection rate was only 2% and 0%, respectively. A similar trend was observed for cx-MBC-OH, though overall, this metabolite was detected less often and at lower concentration levels than cx-MBC. Nowadays, measurable levels of urinary 4-MBC metabolites are an extremely rare occurrence in Germany. These trends are consistent with the history of 4-MBC use by the cosmetic industry. The highest measured individual concentration of 16.20 μg L-1 (in a sample of the year 2005) was still more than 30 times below the health-based guidance value (HBM-I). An investigation of the ratios between both metabolites uncovered several features of the 4-MBC metabolism which have been essentially overlooked until now. In particular, stereochemical aspects should be explored in future studies. As urine was collected in autumn/winter in Northwestern Germany, the 4-MBC metabolites measured probably do not arise from sunscreen products in a narrow sense. They rather may reveal the use of other skin care products containing 4-MBC for UV protection as an added feature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Schmidtkunz
- Currenta GmbH & Co. OHG, Institute of Biomonitoring, Chempark Gebäude Q 18, D-51368 Leverkusen, Germany.
| | - Katja Küpper
- Currenta GmbH & Co. OHG, Institute of Biomonitoring, Chempark Gebäude Q 18, D-51368 Leverkusen, Germany
| | - Till Weber
- Umweltbundesamt, Corrensplatz 1, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Gabriele Leng
- Currenta GmbH & Co. OHG, Institute of Biomonitoring, Chempark Gebäude Q 18, D-51368 Leverkusen, Germany
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Murawski A, Schmied-Tobies MIH, Rucic E, Schmidtkunz C, Küpper K, Leng G, Eckert E, Kuhlmann L, Göen T, Daniels A, Schwedler G, Kolossa-Gehring M. Metabolites of 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and tris(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate (TOTM) in urine of children and adolescents in Germany - human biomonitoring results of the German Environmental Survey GerES V (2014-2017). ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 192:110345. [PMID: 33096061 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The UV filter 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC), used in cosmetics, the antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), used inter alia as a food additive and in cosmetics, and the plasticizer tris(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate (TOTM), used mainly in medical devices as substitute for di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), are suspected to have endocrine disrupting effects. Human biomonitoring methods that allow for assessing the internal exposure of the general population to these substances were recently developed in a German cooperation to enhance the use of human biomonitoring. First-morning void urine samples from 3- to 17-year-old children and adolescents living in Germany were analysed for metabolites of 4-MBC (N = 447), BHT (N = 2091), and TOTM (N = 431) in the population-representative German Environmental Survey on Children and Adolescents 2014-2017 (GerES V). 4-MBC metabolites were found in quantifiable amounts only in single cases and exposure levels remained well below health-based guidance values. In contrast, ubiquitous exposure to BHT became evident with a geometric mean (GM) urinary concentration of the metabolite BHT acid of 2.346 μg/L (1.989 μg/gcreatinine) and a maximum concentration of 248 μg/L (269 μg/gcrea). The highest GM concentration was found in young children aged 3-5 years, yet no specific sources of exposure could be identified. Also, TOTM metabolites were found in quantifiable amounts only in very few samples. None of these findings could be related to previous hospital treatment or exposure via house dust. The presented results will be the basis to derive reference values for exposure of children and adolescents in Germany to BHT and will facilitate to identify changing exposure levels in the general population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Enrico Rucic
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Katja Küpper
- Currenta GmbH & Co. OHG, Institute of Biomonitoring, Leverkusen, Germany
| | - Gabriele Leng
- Currenta GmbH & Co. OHG, Institute of Biomonitoring, Leverkusen, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Eckert
- Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Laura Kuhlmann
- Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Thomas Göen
- Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Anja Daniels
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin, Germany
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