1
|
Maffini MV, Vandenberg LN. Science evolves but outdated testing and static risk management in the US delay protection to human health. FRONTIERS IN TOXICOLOGY 2024; 6:1444024. [PMID: 39193481 PMCID: PMC11347445 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2024.1444024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura N. Vandenberg
- School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
vom Saal FS, Antoniou M, Belcher SM, Bergman A, Bhandari RK, Birnbaum LS, Cohen A, Collins TJ, Demeneix B, Fine AM, Flaws JA, Gayrard V, Goodson WH, Gore AC, Heindel JJ, Hunt PA, Iguchi T, Kassotis CD, Kortenkamp A, Mesnage R, Muncke J, Myers JP, Nadal A, Newbold RR, Padmanabhan V, Palanza P, Palma Z, Parmigiani S, Patrick L, Prins GS, Rosenfeld CS, Skakkebaek NE, Sonnenschein C, Soto AM, Swan SH, Taylor JA, Toutain PL, von Hippel FA, Welshons WV, Zalko D, Zoeller RT. The Conflict between Regulatory Agencies over the 20,000-Fold Lowering of the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for Bisphenol A (BPA) by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2024; 132:45001. [PMID: 38592230 PMCID: PMC11003459 DOI: 10.1289/ehp13812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommended lowering their estimated tolerable daily intake (TDI) for bisphenol A (BPA) 20,000-fold to 0.2 ng / kg body weight ( BW ) / day . BPA is an extensively studied high production volume endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) associated with a vast array of diseases. Prior risk assessments of BPA by EFSA as well as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have relied on industry-funded studies conducted under good laboratory practice protocols (GLP) requiring guideline end points and detailed record keeping, while also claiming to examine (but rejecting) thousands of published findings by academic scientists. Guideline protocols initially formalized in the mid-twentieth century are still used by many regulatory agencies. EFSA used a 21st century approach in its reassessment of BPA and conducted a transparent, but time-limited, systematic review that included both guideline and academic research. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) opposed EFSA's revision of the TDI for BPA. OBJECTIVES We identify the flaws in the assumptions that the German BfR, as well as the FDA, have used to justify maintaining the TDI for BPA at levels above what a vast amount of academic research shows to cause harm. We argue that regulatory agencies need to incorporate 21st century science into chemical hazard identifications using the CLARITY-BPA (Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on BPA Toxicity) nonguideline academic studies in a collaborative government-academic program model. DISCUSSION We strongly endorse EFSA's revised TDI for BPA and support the European Commission's (EC) apparent acceptance of this updated BPA risk assessment. We discuss challenges to current chemical risk assessment assumptions about EDCs that need to be addressed by regulatory agencies to, in our opinion, become truly protective of public health. Addressing these challenges will hopefully result in BPA, and eventually other structurally similar bisphenols (called regrettable substitutions) for which there are known adverse effects, being eliminated from all food-related and many other uses in the EU and elsewhere. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13812.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frederick S. vom Saal
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Michael Antoniou
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King’s College London School of Medicine, London, UK
| | - Scott M. Belcher
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ake Bergman
- Department of Environmental Science (ACES), Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ramji K. Bhandari
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Linda S. Birnbaum
- Scientist Emeritus and Former Director, National Toxicology Program (NTP), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
- Scholar in Residence, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Aly Cohen
- Integrative Rheumatology Associates, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Terrence J. Collins
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Barbara Demeneix
- Comparative Physiology Laboratory, Natural History Museum, Paris, France
| | - Anne Marie Fine
- Environmental Medicine Education International, Mancos, Colorado, USA
| | - Jodi A. Flaws
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana—Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Veronique Gayrard
- ToxAlim (Research Centre in Food Toxicology), University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - William H. Goodson
- California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Andrea C. Gore
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Jerrold J. Heindel
- Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Patricia A. Hunt
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Taisen Iguchi
- Graduate School of Nanobioscience, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Christopher D. Kassotis
- Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Andreas Kortenkamp
- Centre for Pollution Research and Policy, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK
| | - Robin Mesnage
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King’s College London School of Medicine, London, UK
| | - Jane Muncke
- Food Packaging Forum Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Angel Nadal
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE) and CIBERDEM, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, Elche, Alicante, Spain
| | - Retha R. Newbold
- Scientist Emeritus, NTP, NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Vasantha Padmanabhan
- Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Paola Palanza
- Unit of Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | | | - Stefano Parmigiani
- Unit of Evolutionary and Functional Biology, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Lyn Patrick
- Environmental Medicine Education International, Mancos, Colorado, USA
| | - Gail S. Prins
- Department of Urology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Cheryl S. Rosenfeld
- Biomedical Sciences, Thompson Center for Autism and Neurobehavioral Disorders, University of Missouri—Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
- MU Institute of Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri—Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Niels E. Skakkebaek
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Carlos Sonnenschein
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ana M. Soto
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Shanna H. Swan
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Julia A. Taylor
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Pierre-Louis Toutain
- Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London, UK
- NTHERES, INRAE, ENVT, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Frank A. von Hippel
- Department of Community, Environment & Policy, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Wade V. Welshons
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri—Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Daniel Zalko
- ToxAlim (Research Centre in Food Toxicology), University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - R. Thomas Zoeller
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Resnik DB, Elliott KC. Science, Values, and the New Demarcation Problem. JOURNAL FOR GENERAL PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE = ZEITSCHRIFT FUR ALLGEMEINE WISSENSCHAFTSTHEORIE 2023; 54:259-286. [PMID: 36843654 PMCID: PMC9944799 DOI: 10.1007/s10838-022-09633-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, many philosophers of science have rejected the "value-free ideal" for science, arguing that non-epistemic values have a legitimate role to play in scientific inquiry. However, this philosophical position raises the question of how to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate influences of values in science. In this paper, we argue that those seeking to address this "new" demarcation problem can benefit by drawing lessons from the "old" demarcation problem, in which philosophers tried to find a way of distinguishing between science and non-science. Many of those who worked on this problem ultimately found that efforts to provide necessary and sufficient conditions for defining science failed, and most concluded that the best solution to the problem was to characterize scientific hypotheses, theories, and research programs in terms of some common norms. We suggest that those seeking to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate value influences on science would do well to adopt a similar approach. Rather than attempting to establish necessary and sufficient conditions for identifying appropriate value influences, it will be more fruitful to evaluate scientific activities based on their adherence to a set of epistemic and ethical norms that can be implemented in scientific practice by means of rules, conventions, policies, and procedures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David B. Resnik
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC USA
| | - Kevin C. Elliott
- Philosophy and Sociology of Science, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and Department of Philosophy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Shi Z, Xia M, Xiao S, Zhang Q. Identification of nonmonotonic concentration-responses in Tox21 high-throughput screening estrogen receptor assays. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2022; 452:116206. [PMID: 35988584 PMCID: PMC9452481 DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2022.116206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) interfere with the metabolism and actions of endogenous hormones. It has been well documented in numerous in vivo and in vitro studies that EDCs can exhibit nonmonotonic dose response (NMDR) behaviors. Not conforming to the conventional linear or linear-no-threshold response paradigm, these NMDR relationships pose practical challenges to the risk assessment of EDCs. In the meantime, the endocrine signaling pathways and biological mechanisms underpinning NMDR remain incompletely understood. The US Tox21 program has conducted in vitro cell-based high-throughput screening assays for estrogen receptors (ER), androgen receptors, and other nuclear receptors, and screened the 10 K-compound library for potential endocrine activities. Using 15 concentrations across several orders of magnitude of concentration range and run in both agonist and antagonist modes, these Tox21 assay datasets contain valuable quantitative information that can be explored to evaluate the nonlinear effects of EDCs and may infer potential mechanisms. In this study we analyzed the concentration-response curves (CRCs) in all 8 Tox21 ERα and ERβ assays by developing clustering and classification algorithms customized to the datasets to identify various shapes of CRCs. After excluding NMDR curves likely caused by cytotoxicity, luciferase inhibition, or autofluorescence, hundreds of compounds were identified to exhibit Bell or U-shaped CRCs. Bell-shaped CRCs are about 7 times more frequent than U-shaped ones in the Tox21 ER assays. Many compounds exhibit NMDR in at least one assay, and some EDCs well-known for their NMDRs in the literature were also identified, suggesting their nonmonotonic effects may originate at cellular levels involving transcriptional ER signaling. The developed computational methods for NMDR identification in ER assays can be adapted and applied to other high-throughput bioassays.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhenzhen Shi
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Menghang Xia
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Shuo Xiao
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Vandenberg LN, Pelch KE. Systematic Review Methodologies and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: Improving Evaluations of the Plastic Monomer Bisphenol A. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets 2021; 22:748-764. [PMID: 34610783 DOI: 10.2174/1871530321666211005163614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are found in plastics, personal care products, household items, and other consumer goods. Risk assessments are intended to characterize a chemical's hazards, identify the doses at which adverse outcomes are observed, quantify exposure levels, and then compare these doses to determine the likelihood of risk in a given population. There are many problems with risk assessments for EDCs, allowing people to be exposed to levels that are later associated with serious health outcomes in epidemiology studies. OBJECTIVE In this review, we examine issues that affect the evaluation of EDCs in risk assessments (e.g., use of insensitive rodent strains and absence of disease-oriented outcomes in hazard assessments; inadequate exposure assessments). We then review one well-studied chemical, Bisphenol A (BPA; CAS #80-05-7) an EDC found in plastics, food packaging, and other consumer products. More than one hundred epidemiology studies suggest associations between BPA exposures and adverse health outcomes in environmentally exposed human populations. FINDINGS We present support for the use of systematic review methodologies in the evaluation of BPA and other EDCs. Systematic reviews would allow studies to be evaluated for their reliability and risk of bias. They would also allow all data to be used in risk assessments, which is a requirement for some regulatory agencies. CONCLUSION Systematic review methodologies can be used to improve evaluations of BPA and other EDCs. Their use could help to restore faith in risk assessments and ensure that all data are utilized in decision-making. Regulatory agencies are urged to conduct transparent, well-documented and proper systematic reviews for BPA and other EDCs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura N Vandenberg
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts - Amherst, United States
| | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rahman MS, Adegoke EO, Pang MG. Drivers of owning more BPA. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2021; 417:126076. [PMID: 34004580 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 05/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a ubiquitous environmental toxin worldwide. Despite the many studies documenting the toxicity of this substance, it remains a popular choice for consumer products. The internet, magazine articles, and newspaper reports are replete with tips on how to avoid BPA exposure, which mostly spread contradictory and often unscientific information. Therefore, based on a comprehensive search of the available biomedical literature, we summarized several confounding factors that may be directly or indirectly related to human BPA exposure. We found that the unique properties of BPA materials (i.e. low cost, light-weight, resistance to corrosion, and water/air-tightness), lack of personal health and hygiene education, fear of BPA-substitutes (with yet unknown risks), inappropriate production, processing, and marketing of materials containing BPA, as well as the state of regulatory guidance are influencing the increased exposure to BPA. Besides, we detailed the disparities between scientifically derived safe dosages of BPA and those designated as "safe" by government regulatory agencies. Therefore, in addition to providing a current assessment of the states of academic research, government policies, and consumer behaviors, we make several reasonable and actionable recommendations for limiting human exposure to BPA through improved labeling, science-based dosage limits, and public awareness campaigns.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Md Saidur Rahman
- Department of Animal Science & Technology and BET Research Institute, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggi-do 17546, Republic of Korea
| | - Elikanah Olusayo Adegoke
- Department of Animal Science & Technology and BET Research Institute, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggi-do 17546, Republic of Korea
| | - Myung-Geol Pang
- Department of Animal Science & Technology and BET Research Institute, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggi-do 17546, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Abstract
Regulatory agencies around the world depend on standardized testing approaches to evaluate environmental chemicals for endocrine disrupting properties. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a two-tiered testing approach within its Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP). The eleven Tier 1 and three Tier 2 EDSP assays can be used to identify chemicals that act as agonists or antagonists of estrogen receptor, androgen receptor, or thyroid hormone receptor, or chemicals that interfere with steroidogenesis. Additional assays have been developed in the context of Tox21, and others have been validated by the OECD. In spite of the availability of validated toxicity tests, problems have been identified with the approaches and methods used to identify endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). This chapter will provide an overview of several of these issues including: (1) The way an EDC is defined by an agency impacts whether a specific test can be used to determine if a chemical is an EDC. This is especially important when considering which assays examine outcomes that are considered "adverse effects." (2) Some assumptions about the validated studies used to identify EDCs may not be true (e.g., their reproducibility has been questioned). (3) Many of the validated assays are less sensitive than other methods that have not yet been validated. Ultimately, these and other problems contribute to the current landscape, where testing approaches have failed to protect the public from known EDCs. The chapter concludes with a review of approaches that have been taken to improve current guideline studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura N Vandenberg
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Kassotis CD, Trasande L. Endocrine disruptor global policy. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2021; 92:1-34. [PMID: 34452684 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2021.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Over the past several decades, scientific consensus has grown around the concept and evidence for human health impacts from exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). A series of publications have now demonstrated considerable economic costs of EDC exposure-induced adverse health outcomes. This research has suggested economic burdens in the hundreds of billions, even considering only a small subset of EDCs and health. As of yet, regulatory efforts and policies to protect and decrease human exposure to most EDCs have been insufficient and have not kept pace with the science. Given the overwhelming scientific evidence, referenced throughout this collection, as well as the economic costs of inaction, described here, regulations are clearly needed. The EU and some other countries have taken promising steps towards protective regulation of EDCs, though the response of the US and many other countries has been limited or altogether lacking. Regulatory bodies that have and continue to apply risk-based approaches to regulating EDCs have also failed to consider the complete economic impacts of EDC-related health impacts. In this chapter, we will discuss broad strategies taken to regulate EDCs, examine the approaches currently taken to regulate EDCs in a global context (discussing the strengths and weaknesses of these regulations), discuss the economic costs of EDC exposures (detailing where consideration of health and economic costs could improve regulations), and discuss next steps and novel approaches to adapting existing regulatory frameworks to this class of chemicals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D Kassotis
- Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States.
| | - Leonardo Trasande
- Departments of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; NYU College of Global Public Health, New York, NY, United States
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Vandenberg LN. Endocrine disrupting chemicals: strategies to protect present and future generations. Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab 2021; 16:135-146. [PMID: 33973826 DOI: 10.1080/17446651.2021.1917991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are chemicals that alter the actions of hormones. In the 21st Century, numerous expert groups of clinicians, scientists, and environmental activists have called for action to protect present and future generations from the harm induced by EDC exposures. These demands for regulatory responses come because of the strong weight of the evidence from epidemiology, wildlife, and controlled laboratory studies.Areas covered: In this review, we examine the conclusions drawn by experts from different scientific and medical disciplines. We also address several areas where recent findings or work has changed the landscape of EDC work including new approaches to identify and evaluate the evidence for EDCs using a key characteristics approach, the need to expand our understanding of vulnerable periods of development, and the increasing concern that traditional methods used to evaluate toxicity of environmental chemicals are insufficient for EDCs and how collaborative science could help to address these gaps.Expert opinion: The science is clear: there is more than enough evidence to demonstrate that EDCs affect the health of humans and wildlife. Waiting to act is a decision that puts the health of current and future generations at risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura N Vandenberg
- School of Public Health & Health Sciences, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
vom Saal FS, Vandenberg LN. Update on the Health Effects of Bisphenol A: Overwhelming Evidence of Harm. Endocrinology 2021; 162:6124507. [PMID: 33516155 PMCID: PMC7846099 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqaa171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In 1997, the first in vivo bisphenol A (BPA) study by endocrinologists reported that feeding BPA to pregnant mice induced adverse reproductive effects in male offspring at the low dose of 2 µg/kg/day. Since then, thousands of studies have reported adverse effects in animals administered low doses of BPA. Despite more than 100 epidemiological studies suggesting associations between BPA and disease/dysfunction also reported in animal studies, regulatory agencies continue to assert that BPA exposures are safe. To address this disagreement, the CLARITY-BPA study was designed to evaluate traditional endpoints of toxicity and modern hypothesis-driven, disease-relevant outcomes in the same set of animals. A wide range of adverse effects was reported in both the toxicity and the mechanistic endpoints at the lowest dose tested (2.5 µg/kg/day), leading independent experts to call for the lowest observed adverse effect level (LOAEL) to be dropped 20 000-fold from the current outdated LOAEL of 50 000 µg/kg/day. Despite criticism by members of the Endocrine Society that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s assumptions violate basic principles of endocrinology, the FDA rejected all low-dose data as not biologically plausible. Their decisions rely on 4 incorrect assumptions: dose responses must be monotonic, there exists a threshold below which there are no effects, both sexes must respond similarly, and only toxicological guideline studies are valid. This review details more than 20 years of BPA studies and addresses the divide that exists between regulatory approaches and endocrine science. Ultimately, CLARITY-BPA has shed light on why traditional methods of evaluating toxicity are insufficient to evaluate endocrine disrupting chemicals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frederick S vom Saal
- University of Missouri – Columbia, Division of Biological Sciences, Columbia, Missouri
- Correspondence: Dr. Frederick vom Saal, University of Missouri-Columbia, Division of Biological Sciences, 105 Lefevre Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA. E-mail:
| | - Laura N Vandenberg
- University of Massachusetts – Amherst, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Amherst, Massachusetts
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Leung YK, Biesiada J, Govindarajah V, Ying J, Kendler A, Medvedovic M, Ho SM. Low-Dose Bisphenol A in a Rat Model of Endometrial Cancer: A CLARITY-BPA Study. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2020; 128:127005. [PMID: 33296240 PMCID: PMC7725436 DOI: 10.1289/ehp6875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bisphenol A (BPA) is known to be biologically active in experimental models even at low levels of exposure. However, its impact on endometrial cancer remains unclear. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate whether lifelong exposure to different doses of BPA induced uterine abnormalities and molecular changes in a rat model. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 5 doses of BPA [0, 25, 250, 2,500, or 25,000 μ g / kg body weight (BW)/d] or 2 doses of 17 α - ethynylestradiol (EE2) (0.05 and 0.5 μ g / kg BW/d) starting from gestational day 6 up to 1 y old according to the CLARITY-BPA consortium protocol. The BW, uterus weight, and histopathology end points of the uteri were analyzed at postnatal (PND) day 21, 90, and 365. Estrous cycling status was evaluated in PND90 and PND365 rats. Transcriptomic analyses of estrus stage uteri were conducted on PND365 rats. RESULTS Based on the analysis of the combined effects of all testing outcomes (including immunohistological, morphological, and estrous cycle data) in a semiblinded fashion, using statistical models, 25 μ g / kg BW/d BPA [BPA(25)], or 250 μ g / kg BW/d BPA [BPA(250)] exerted effects similar to that of EE2 at 0.5 μ g / kg BW/d in 1-y-old rats. Transcriptome analyses of estrus stage uteri revealed a set of 710 genes shared only between the BPA(25) and BPA(250) groups, with 115 of them predicted to be regulated by estradiol and 57 associated with female cancers. An interesting finding is that the expression of 476 human orthologous genes in this rat BPA signature robustly predicted the overall survival (p = 1.68 × 10 - 5 , hazard ratio = 2.62 ) of endometrial cancer patients. DISCUSSION Lifelong exposure of rats to low-dose BPA at 25 and 250 μ g / kg BW/d altered the estrous cycle and uterine pathology with similarity to EE2. The exposure also disrupted a unique low-dose BPA-gene signature with predictive value for survival outcomes in patients with endometrial cancer. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6875.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuet-Kin Leung
- Division of Environmental Genetics and Molecular Toxicology, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Center for Environmental Genetics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Jacek Biesiada
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Center for Environmental Genetics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Vinothini Govindarajah
- Division of Environmental Genetics and Molecular Toxicology, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Jun Ying
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Center for Environmental Genetics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Ady Kendler
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Mario Medvedovic
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Center for Environmental Genetics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Shuk-Mei Ho
- Division of Environmental Genetics and Molecular Toxicology, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Center for Environmental Genetics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Heindel JJ, Belcher S, Flaws JA, Prins GS, Ho SM, Mao J, Patisaul HB, Ricke W, Rosenfeld CS, Soto AM, Vom Saal FS, Zoeller RT. Data integration, analysis, and interpretation of eight academic CLARITY-BPA studies. Reprod Toxicol 2020; 98:29-60. [PMID: 32682780 PMCID: PMC7365109 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2020.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 05/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
"Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on BPA Toxicity" (CLARITY-BPA) was a comprehensive "industry-standard" Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)-compliant 2-year chronic exposure study of bisphenol A (BPA) toxicity that was supplemented by hypothesis-driven independent investigator-initiated studies. The investigator-initiated studies were focused on integrating disease-associated, molecular, and physiological endpoints previously found by academic scientists into an industry standard guideline-compliant toxicity study. Thus, the goal of this collaboration was to provide a more comprehensive dataset upon which to base safety standards and to determine whether industry-standard tests are as sensitive and predictive as molecular and disease-associated endpoints. The goal of this report is to integrate the findings from the investigator-initiated studies into a comprehensive overview of the observed impacts of BPA across the multiple organs and systems analyzed. For each organ system, we provide the rationale for the study, an overview of methodology, and summarize major findings. We then compare the results of the CLARITY-BPA studies across organ systems with the results of previous peer-reviewed studies from independent labs. Finally, we discuss potential influences that contributed to differences between studies. Developmental exposure to BPA can lead to adverse effects in multiple organs systems, including the brain, prostate gland, urinary tract, ovary, mammary gland, and heart. As published previously, many effects were at the lowest dose tested, 2.5μg/kg /day, and many of the responses were non-monotonic. Because the low dose of BPA affected endpoints in the same animals across organs evaluated in different labs, we conclude that these are biologically - and toxicologically - relevant.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jerrold J Heindel
- Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies Commonweal, Bolinas, CA 94924, United States.
| | - Scott Belcher
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Jodi A Flaws
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61802, United States
| | - Gail S Prins
- Department of Urology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago IL 60612, United States
| | - Shuk-Mei Ho
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH 45267, United States; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States
| | - Jiude Mao
- Biomedical Sciences and Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United States
| | - Heather B Patisaul
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - William Ricke
- Department of Urology, University of Wisconsin, Madison WI 53705, United States
| | - Cheryl S Rosenfeld
- Biomedical Sciences and Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United States
| | - Ana M Soto
- Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, United States
| | - Frederick S Vom Saal
- Department of Biology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United States
| | - R Thomas Zoeller
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, United States
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Sex-biased impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals on behavioral development and vulnerability to disease: Of mice and children. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 121:29-46. [PMID: 33248148 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Sex is a fundamental biological characteristic that influences many aspects of an organism's phenotype, including neurobiological functions and behavior as a result of species-specific evolutionary pressures. Sex differences have strong implications for vulnerability to disease and susceptibility to environmental perturbations. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have the potential to interfere with sex hormones functioning and influence development in a sex specific manner. Here we present an updated descriptive review of findings from animal models and human studies regarding the current evidence for altered sex-differences in behavioral development in response to early exposure to EDCs, with a focus on bisphenol A and phthalates. Overall, we show that animal and human studies have a good degree of consistency and that there is strong evidence demonstrating that EDCs exposure during critical periods of development affect sex differences in emotional and cognitive behaviors. Results are more heterogeneous when social, sexual and parental behaviors are considered. In order to pinpoint sex differences in environmentally-driven disease vulnerabilities, researchers need to consider sex-biased developmental effects of EDCs.
Collapse
|
14
|
Goodson WH, Lowe L, Gilbertson M, Carpenter DO. Testing the low dose mixtures hypothesis from the Halifax project. REVIEWS ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 2020; 35:333-357. [PMID: 32833669 DOI: 10.1515/reveh-2020-0033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
In 2013, 60 scientists, representing a larger group of 174 scientists from 26 nations, met in Halifax, Nova Scotia to consider whether - using published research - it was logical to anticipate that a mixture of chemicals, each thought to be non-carcinogenic, might act together in that mixture as a virtual carcinogen. The group identified 89 such chemicals, each one affecting one or more Hallmark(s) - collectively covering all Hallmarks of Cancer - confirming the possibility that a chemical mixture could induce all the Hallmarks and function as a virtual carcinogen, thereby supporting the concern that chemical safety research that does not evaluate mixtures, is incomplete. Based on these observations, the Halifax Project developed the Low-Dose Carcinogenesis Hypothesis which posits "…that low-dose exposures to [mixtures of] disruptive chemicals that are not individually carcinogenic may be capable of instigating and/or enabling carcinogenesis." Although testing all possible combinations of over 80,000 chemicals of commerce would be impractical, prudence requires designing a methodology to test whether low-dose chemical mixtures might be carcinogenic. As an initial step toward testing this hypothesis, we conducted a mini review of published empirical observations of biological exposures to chemical mixtures to assess what empirical data exists on which to base future research. We reviewed studies on chemical mixtures with the criteria that the studies reported both different concentrations of chemicals and mixtures composed of different chemicals. We found a paucity of research on this important question. The majority of studies reported hormone related processes and used chemical concentrations selected to facilitate studying how mixtures behave in experiments that were often removed from clinical relevance, i.e., chemicals were not studied at human-relevant concentrations. New research programs must be envisioned to enable study of how mixtures of small doses of chemicals affect human health, starting, when at all possible, from non-malignant specimens when studies are done in vitro. This research should use human relevant concentrations of chemicals, expand research beyond the historic focus on endocrine endpoints and endocrine related cancers, and specifically seek effects that arise uniquely from exposure to chemical mixtures at human-relevant concentrations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William H Goodson
- Department of Surgery, California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA
| | - Leroy Lowe
- Getting to Know Cancer (NGO), Truro, NS, B2N 1X5, Canada
| | - Michael Gilbertson
- Occupational and Environmental Health Research Group, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland
| | - David O Carpenter
- Institute for Health and the Environment, University at Albany, Rensselaer, NY, 12144, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Kokai D, Stanic B, Samardzija Nenadov D, Pogrmic-Majkic K, Tesic B, Fa S, Andric N. Biological effects of chronic and acute exposure of human endothelial cell line EA.hy926 to bisphenol A: New tricks from an old dog. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 256:127159. [PMID: 32559890 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Although epidemiological and animal studies suggest a possible correlation between bisphenol A (BPA) exposure and atherosclerosis, very few in vitro mechanistic and functional studies regarding the effect of BPA on vascular cells have been conducted. Here, we applied a "real-life" exposure scenario by continuously exposing human endothelial cell (EC) line EA.hy926 to environmentally relevant concentrations of BPA (10-9, 10-8, and 10-7 M) during 14 weeks. We also exposed EA.hy926 cells to higher concentrations of BPA (10-7, 10-6, and 10-5 M) for up to 48 h to gain mechanistic insight into the BPA's action in ECs. Chronic exposure to BPA produced some unexpected effects in EA.hy926 cells including a transient decrease in the adhesion of monocytes to the EC monolayer and decrease in the expression of cellular adhesion molecules, improvement in endothelial barrier function and elevated expression of tight junction proteins occludin and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), increased adhesion of ECs, and increased nitric oxide (NO) production. Some of these effects, such as diminished adhesion of monocytes to the EC monolayer and elevated NO production have also been replicated during acute exposure experiments. Using Western blotting and specific pharmacological inhibitors in the acute study, we have shown that direct BPA's action in EA.hy926 cells involves activation of estrogen receptor (ER), phosphorylation of protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)-mediated production of NO. Collectively, these data indicate that BPA induces functional and molecular changes in EA.hy926 cells associated with the promotion of endothelial integrity through activation of the ER/Akt/eNOS pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dunja Kokai
- University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology and Ecology, Serbia
| | - Bojana Stanic
- University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology and Ecology, Serbia.
| | | | | | - Biljana Tesic
- University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology and Ecology, Serbia
| | - Svetlana Fa
- University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology and Ecology, Serbia
| | - Nebojsa Andric
- University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology and Ecology, Serbia
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Taylor JA, Jones MB, Besch-Williford CL, Berendzen AF, Ricke WA, vom Saal FS. Interactive Effects of Perinatal BPA or DES and Adult Testosterone and Estradiol Exposure on Adult Urethral Obstruction and Bladder, Kidney, and Prostate Pathology in Male Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21113902. [PMID: 32486162 PMCID: PMC7313472 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21113902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Obstructive voiding disorder (OVD) occurs during aging in men and is often, but not always, associated with increased prostate size, due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostatitis, or prostate cancer. Estrogens are known to impact the development of both OVD and prostate diseases, either during early urogenital tract development in fetal–neonatal life or later in adulthood. To examine the potential interaction between developmental and adult estrogen exposure on the adult urogenital tract, male CD-1 mice were perinatally exposed to bisphenol A (BPA), diethylstilbestrol (DES) as a positive control, or vehicle negative control, and in adulthood were treated for 4 months with Silastic capsules containing testosterone and estradiol (T+E2) or empty capsules. Animals exposed to BPA or DES during perinatal development were more likely than negative controls to have urine flow/kidney problems and enlarged bladders, as well as enlarged prostates. OVD in adult T+E2-treated perinatal BPA and DES animals was associated with dorsal prostate hyperplasia and prostatitis. The results demonstrate a relationship between elevated exogenous estrogen levels during urogenital system development and elevated estradiol in adulthood and OVD in male mice. These findings support the two-hit hypothesis for the development of OVD and prostate diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia A. Taylor
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA; (J.A.T.); (M.B.J.)
| | - Maren Bell Jones
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA; (J.A.T.); (M.B.J.)
| | | | - Ashley F. Berendzen
- Biomolecular Imaging Center, Harry S Truman VA Hospital and University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA;
| | - William A. Ricke
- George M. O’Brien Center of Research Excellence, Department of Urology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705, USA;
| | - Frederick S. vom Saal
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA; (J.A.T.); (M.B.J.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(573)-356-9621
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Vandenberg LN, Prins GS, Patisaul HB, Zoeller RT. The Use and Misuse of Historical Controls in Regulatory Toxicology: Lessons from the CLARITY-BPA Study. Endocrinology 2020; 161:5613539. [PMID: 31690949 PMCID: PMC7182062 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqz014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
For many endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) including Bisphenol A (BPA), animal studies show that environmentally relevant exposures cause harm; human studies are consistent with these findings. Yet, regulatory agencies charged with protecting public health continue to conclude that human exposures to these EDCs pose no risk. One reason for the disconnect between the scientific consensus on EDCs in the endocrinology community and the failure to act in the regulatory community is the dependence of the latter on so-called "guideline studies" to evaluate hazards, and the inability to incorporate independent scientific studies in risk assessment. The Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on Toxicity (CLARITY) study was intended to bridge this gap, combining a "guideline" study with independent hypothesis-driven studies designed to be more appropriate to evaluate EDCs. Here we examined an aspect of "guideline" studies, the use of so-called "historical controls," which are essentially control data borrowed from prior studies to aid in the interpretation of current findings. The US Food and Drug Administration authors used historical controls to question the plausibility of statistically significant BPA-related effects in the CLARITY study. We examined the use of historical controls on 5 outcomes in the CLARITY "guideline" study: mammary neoplasms, pituitary neoplasms, kidney nephropathy, prostate inflammation and adenomas, and body weight. Using US Food and Drug Administration-proposed historical control data, our evaluation revealed that endpoints used in "guideline" studies are not as reproducible as previously held. Combined with other data comparing the effects of ethinyl estradiol in 2 "guideline" studies including CLARITY-BPA, we conclude that near-exclusive reliance on "guideline" studies can result in scientifically invalid conclusions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura N Vandenberg
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts–Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts
- Correspondence: Laura N. Vandenberg, PhD, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts–Amherst, 171C Goessmann, 686 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003. E-mail:
| | - Gail S Prins
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine; Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Heather B Patisaul
- Center for Human Health and the Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - R Thomas Zoeller
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts–Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Hafezi SA, Abdel-Rahman WM. The Endocrine Disruptor Bisphenol A (BPA) Exerts a Wide Range of Effects in Carcinogenesis and Response to Therapy. Curr Mol Pharmacol 2020; 12:230-238. [PMID: 30848227 DOI: 10.2174/1874467212666190306164507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2018] [Revised: 02/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic plasticizer that is commonly used in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Human exposure occurs when BPA migrates from food and beverage containers into the contents when heated or even under normal conditions of use. BPA exerts endocrine disruptor action due to its weak binding affinity for the estrogen receptors ERα and ERβ. BPA exerts other effects by activating the membrane receptor GPER (GPR30) and/or other receptors such as the estrogen-related receptors (ERRs). OBJECTIVE This review summarizes emerging data on BPA and cancer. These include data linking exposure to BPA with an increased risk of hormone-related cancers such as those of the ovary, breast, prostate, and even colon cancer. BPA can also induce resistance to various chemotherapeutics such as doxorubicin, cisplatin, and vinblastine in vitro. The development of chemoresistance to available therapeutics is an emerging significant aspect of BPA toxicity because it worsens the prognosis of many tumors. CONCLUSION Recent findings support a causal role of BPA at low levels in the development of cancers and in dictating their response to cytotoxic therapy. Accurate knowledge and consideration of these issues would be highly beneficial to cancer prevention and management.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shirin A Hafezi
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Wael M Abdel-Rahman
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.,Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Uchtmann KS, Taylor JA, Timms BG, Stahlhut RW, Ricke EA, Ellersieck MR, Vom Saal FS, Ricke WA. Fetal bisphenol A and ethinylestradiol exposure alters male rat urogenital tract morphology at birth: Confirmation of prior low-dose findings in CLARITY-BPA. Reprod Toxicol 2020; 91:131-141. [PMID: 31756437 PMCID: PMC7339120 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2019.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a contaminant in virtually all Americans. To examine BPA's adverse effects, the FDA-NCTR, NIEHS, and 14 groups of academic scientists formed a consortium: CLARITY-BPA. The purpose of our study was to investigate the effects of a wide range of doses of BPA on fetal development of the NCTR CD-SD male rat urogenital sinus (UGS). Pregnant rats were administered BPA or positive control ethinylestradiol (EE2) daily, via oral gavage, from gestational day 6 through parturition. Tissues were collected on postnatal day 1 and the UGS was analyzed using computer-assisted 3-D reconstruction. Importantly, only low doses of BPA, as well as EE2, significantly changed birth weight and UGS morphology, including an increased size of the colliculus and decreased size of the urethra, consistent with prior reported BPA and EE2 effects. Our findings provide further evidence that BPA mediates nonmonotonic developmental effects on the fetal urogenital sinus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristen S Uchtmann
- Department of Urology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA; George M. O'Brien Center of Research Excellence, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA
| | - Julia A Taylor
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Barry G Timms
- Division of Basic Biological Sciences, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069 USA
| | - Richard W Stahlhut
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Emily A Ricke
- Department of Urology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA; George M. O'Brien Center of Research Excellence, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA
| | - Mark R Ellersieck
- Department of Statistics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | | | - William A Ricke
- Department of Urology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA; Molecular & Environmental Toxicology Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA; George M. O'Brien Center of Research Excellence, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Chung FFL, Herceg Z. The Promises and Challenges of Toxico-Epigenomics: Environmental Chemicals and Their Impacts on the Epigenome. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2020; 128:15001. [PMID: 31950866 PMCID: PMC7015548 DOI: 10.1289/ehp6104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 12/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND It has been estimated that a substantial portion of chronic and noncommunicable diseases can be caused or exacerbated by exposure to environmental chemicals. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that early life exposure to environmental chemicals at relatively low concentrations could have lasting effects on individual and population health. Although the potential adverse effects of environmental chemicals are known to the scientific community, regulatory agencies, and the public, little is known about the mechanistic basis by which these chemicals can induce long-term or transgenerational effects. To address this question, epigenetic mechanisms have emerged as the potential link between genetic and environmental factors of health and disease. OBJECTIVES We present an overview of epigenetic regulation and a summary of reported evidence of environmental toxicants as epigenetic disruptors. We also discuss the advantages and challenges of using epigenetic biomarkers as an indicator of toxicant exposure, using measures that can be taken to improve risk assessment, and our perspectives on the future role of epigenetics in toxicology. DISCUSSION Until recently, efforts to apply epigenomic data in toxicology and risk assessment were restricted by an incomplete understanding of epigenomic variability across tissue types and populations. This is poised to change with the development of new tools and concerted efforts by researchers across disciplines that have led to a better understanding of epigenetic mechanisms and comprehensive maps of epigenomic variation. With the foundations now in place, we foresee that unprecedented advancements will take place in the field in the coming years. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6104.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Zdenko Herceg
- Epigenetics Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Witchey SK, Fuchs J, Patisaul HB. Perinatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure alters brain oxytocin receptor (OTR) expression in a sex- and region- specific manner: A CLARITY-BPA consortium follow-up study. Neurotoxicology 2019; 74:139-148. [PMID: 31251963 PMCID: PMC6750986 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2019.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2019] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-characterized endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) used in plastics, epoxy resins and other products. Neurodevelopmental effects of BPA exposure are a major concern with multiple rodent and human studies showing that early life BPA exposure may impact the developing brain and sexually dimorphic behaviors. The CLARITY-BPA (Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on BPA Toxicity) program was established to assess multiple endpoints, including neural, across a wide dose range. Studies from our lab as part of (and prior to) CLARITY-BPA have shown that BPA disrupts estrogen receptor expression in the developing brain, and some evidence of oxytocin (OT) and oxytocin receptor (OTR) disruption in the hypothalamus and amygdala. While BPA disruption of steroid hormone function is well documented, less is known about its capacity to alter nonapeptide signals. In this CLARITY-BPA follow up study, we used remaining juvenile rat tissues to test the hypothesis that developmental BPA exposure affects OTR expression across the brain. Perinatal BPA exposure (2.5, 25, or 2500 μg/kg body weight (bw)/day) spanned gestation and lactation with dams gavaged from gestational day 6 until birth and then the offspring gavaged directly through weaning. Ethinyl estradiol (0.5 μg/kg bw/day) was used as a reference estrogen. Animals of both sexes were sacrificed as juveniles and OTR expression assessed by receptor binding. Our results demonstrate prenatal exposure to BPA can eliminate sex differences in OTR expression in three hypothalamic regions, and that male OTR expression may be more susceptible. Our data also identify a sub-region of the BNST with sexually dimorphic OTR expression not previously reported in juvenile rats that is also susceptible to BPA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shannah K Witchey
- Department of Biological Sciences, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, United States
| | - Joelle Fuchs
- Department of Biological Sciences, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, United States
| | - Heather B Patisaul
- Department of Biological Sciences, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, United States; Center for Human Health and the Environment, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Grandjean P, Prins GS, Weihe P. Development priority. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2019; 125 Suppl 3:3-4. [PMID: 31077551 PMCID: PMC6713582 DOI: 10.1111/bcpt.13249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Grandjean
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Gail S. Prins
- Chicago Center for Health and Environment (CACHET), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Pal Weihe
- Department of Public Health and Occupational Medicine, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Hagobian T. CLARITY-BPA Program in Rats: Is It Translatable to Humans? J Endocr Soc 2019; 3:1390-1392. [PMID: 31286104 PMCID: PMC6608553 DOI: 10.1210/js.2019-00126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on BPA Toxicity (CLARITY-BPA) program was the most comprehensive study to date examining a full range of health effects of varying bisphenol A (BPA) exposure in rats. The major concern of the CLARITY-BPA program that has not previously been discussed is whether exposing rats to varying doses to BPA is translatable to humans, even at the “typical” exposure ranges for humans. This perspective will provide evidence that the vast majority of pharmaceutical drug development and other trials in animals have not been replicated in human randomized studies. Similarly, to truly understand whether BPA exposure affects human health, clinical trials are needed to examine BPA administration in humans in controlled settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Todd Hagobian
- Department of Kinesiology and Public Health, Center for Health Research Center, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California
| |
Collapse
|