Endocrine Disruption and In Vitro Ecotoxicology: Recent Advances and Approaches

Abstract

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are man-made compounds interfering with hormone signaling. Omnipresent in the environment, they can cause adverse effects in a wide range of wildlife. Accordingly, Endocrine Disruption is one focal area of ecotoxicology. Because EDCs induce complex response patterns in vivo via a wide range of mechanisms of action, in vitro techniques have been developed to reduce and understand endocrine toxicity. In this review we revisit the evidence for endocrine disruption in diverse species and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Based on this, we examine the battery of in vitro bioassays currently in use in ecotoxicological research and discuss the following key questions. Why do we use in vitro techniques? What endpoints are we looking at? Which applications are we using in vitro bioassays for? How can we put in vitro data into a broader context? And finally, what is the practical relevance of in vitro data? In critically examining these questions, we review the current state-of-the-art of in vitro (eco)toxicology, highlight important limitations and challenges, and discuss emerging trends and future research needs.

Estrogenic activity of biological samples as a biomarker

“…Assays for estrogenic activity evaluation have been described in recent review articles (Mueller 2004, Kiyama and Wada-Kiyama 2015, Wagner et al 2017, Wangmo et al 2018. For the assessment of the estrogenic activity in biological samples, three kinds of assays have been applied: ligand-binding assays, gene reporter assays and proliferation assays (E-screen assays).…”

“…The first E-screen assay was developed by Soto et al (1997) using human breast cancer cells (MCF-7), whose proliferation is mainly induced by the activation of ERα (Wagner et al 2017).…”

“…T47D.Luc = human breast cancer cells (T-47D) stably transfected with pEREtataLuc. (Mueller 2004, Kiyama and Wada-Kiyama 2015, Seifert et al 1999, Soto et al 2006, Wangmo et al 2018, Wagner et al 2017. Abbreviations of mammalian and yeast cells reported in table 1 and table 2 (footnotes).…”

Experience Gained from Ecotoxicological Studies in the Seine River and Its Drainage Basin Over the Last Decade: Applicative Examples and Research Perspectives

“…Among pollutants discharged into the environment, many belong to the family of endocrine disruptors (EDs), chemicals able to lead to endocrine disorders in both humans [4] and wildlife [5], even at trace levels. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and phthalates are such chemicals, which have been quantified both in water and the roach Rutilus rutilus in the Seine basin [6].…”

Determination of Endocrine Disruption Potential of Bisphenol A Alternatives in Food Contact Materials Using In Vitro Assays: State of the Art and Future Challenges

“…Also, as a result of expensive animal test costs and longer test time of in vivo assays (animal test), in vitro bioassays have become more popular and been recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) as screening tools for suspected estrogenic chemicals since 1998. , Therefore, this review focuses on the in vitro assays for screening endocrine disruption of BPA alternatives. In light of different detection end points and mechanisms, there are five major types of effective in vitro assays, including ligand binding assay, reporter gene assay, cell proliferation assay, enzyme assay, and steroidogenesis. ,, Because the enzyme assay [ethoxyresorufin- O -deethylase (EROD) assay] was rarely used for the evaluation of the endocrine disruption of BPA and its alternatives, it was not be reviewed in this paper. For the sake of convenience and clarity, the identification of disruptive endocrine effects via the different receptors is discussed under the four types of in vitro assays.…”