Over the last few years, increasing evidence has become available that some brominated flame retardants (BFRs) may have endocrine-disrupting (ED) potencies. The goal of the current study was to perform a systematic in vitro screening of the ED potencies of BFRs (1) to elucidate possible modes of action of BFRs in man and wildlife and (2) to classify BFRs with similar profiles of ED potencies. A test set of 27 individual BFRs were selected, consisting of 19 polybrominated diphenyl ether congeners, tetrabromobisphenol-A, hexabromocyclododecane, 2,4,6-tribromophenol, ortho-hydroxylated brominated diphenyl ether 47, and tetrabromobisphenol-A–bis(2,3)dibromopropyl ether. All BFRs were tested for their potency to interact with the arylhydrocarbon receptor, androgen receptor (AR), progesterone receptor (PR), and estrogen receptor. In addition, all BFRs were tested for their potency to inhibit estradiol (sulfation by estradiol sulfotransferase (E2SULT), to interfere with thyroid hormone 3,3′,5-triiodothyronine (T3)–mediated cell proliferation, and to compete with T3-precursor thyroxine for binding to the plasma transport protein transthyretin (TTR). The results of the in vitro screening indicated that BFRs have ED potencies, some of which had not or only marginally been described before (AR antagonism, PR antagonism, E2SULT inhibition, and potentiation of T3-mediated effects). For some BFRs, the potency to induce AR antagonism, E2SULT inhibition, and TTR competition was higher than for natural ligands or clinical drugs used as positive controls. Based on their similarity in ED profiles, BFRs were classified into five different clusters. These findings support further investigation of the potential ED effects of these environmentally relevant BFRs in man and wildlife.

Context: Rapidly increasing evidence has documented that endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) contribute substantially to disease and disability. Objective: The objective was to quantify a range of health and economic costs that can be reasonably attributed to EDC exposures in the European Union (EU). Design: A Steering Committee of scientists adapted the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change weight-of-evidence characterization for probability of causation based upon levels of available epidemiological and toxicological evidence for one or more chemicals contributing to disease by an endocrine disruptor mechanism. To evaluate the epidemiological evidence, the Steering Committee adapted the World Health Organization Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group criteria, whereas the Steering Committee adapted definitions recently promulgated by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency for evaluating laboratory and animal evidence of endocrine disruption. Expert panels used the Delphi method to make decisions on the strength of the data. Results: Expert panels achieved consensus at least for probable (>20%) EDC causation for IQ loss and associated intellectual disability, autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, childhood obesity, adult obesity, adult diabetes, cryptorchidism, male infertility, and mortality associated with reduced testosterone. Accounting for probability of causation and using the midpoint of each range for probability of causation, Monte Carlo simulations produced a median cost of €157 billion (or $209 billion, corresponding to 1.23% of EU gross domestic product) annually across 1000 simulations. Notably, using the lowest end of the probability range for each relationship in the Monte Carlo simulations produced a median range of €109 billion that differed modestly from base case probability inputs. Conclusions: EDC exposures in the EU are likely to contribute substantially to disease and dysfunction across the life course with costs in the hundreds of billions of Euros per year. These estimates represent only those EDCs with the highest probability of causation; a broader analysis would have produced greater estimates of burden of disease and costs.

Development of an estrogen receptor-mediated, chemical-activated luciferase reporter gene-expression (ER-CALUX) assay was attempted by stable transfection of luciferase reporter genes in a number of cell lines. Stable transfection of the chimeric Gal4 estrogen receptor and luciferase gene constructs in MCF-7 breast cancer and Hepa.1c1c7 mouse hepatoma cell lines, as well as transfection of a newly constructed luciferase reporter gene pEREtata-Luc in the ECC-1 human endometrial cell line, resulted in constitutive, non-estradiol-inducible clones. Stable transfection of pEREtata-Luc in the T47D breast cancer cell line, however, resulted in an extremely sensitive, highly responsive cell line. Following a 24-h exposure to estradiol (E2), stably transfected T47D.Luc cells demonstrated a detection limit of 0.5 pM, an EC50 of 6 pM, and a maximum induction of 100-fold relative to solvent controls. No clear reduction in responsiveness has been found over extended culture periods (50 passages). Anti-estrogens ICI 182,780, TCDD, and tamoxifen inhibited the estradiol-mediated luciferase induction. Genistein, nonylphenol, and o,p'DDT were the most potent (pseudo-)estrogens tested in this system (EC50 100, 260, and 660 nM, respectively). Determination of interactive effects of the (pseudo-)estrogens nonylphenol, o,p'DDT, chlordane, endosulfan, dieldrin, and methoxychlor revealed that, in combination with 3 pM E2, (pseudo-)estrogens were additive. Slightly more than additive effects (less than 2-fold) were found for combinations of dieldrin and endosulfan tested in the range of 3 to 6 microM. At these concentrations, the combination of endosulfan and chlordane demonstrated additive interaction. The ER-CALUX assay with T47D cells can provide a sensitive, responsive, and rapid in vitro system to detect and measure substances with potential (anti-)estrogenic activity.

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