• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.375-382
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• 2004

This study was designed to investigate potential endocrine disrupting effects of several industrial wastewater effluents discharged from cosmetic, plaiting, paint, textile industry using EROD bioassay and E-Screen assay. The results of E-screen assay showed that textile industrial wastewater could act as a full agonist and cosmetics and plaiting industrial wastewater could act as a partial agonist. On the contrary, the wastewater discharged from paint industry did not show any estrogenic effect. Estrogenic activity in the effluents of cosmetic and paint industrial wastewater was lower than that in the influents indicating that the wastewater treatment process minimized the effects of discharges on water quality. Despite of these results, it was recognized that wastewater treatment was not always minimize toxic impact. In this study, increased estrogenic effect was observed in the effluents of plating and textile wastewater, and EROD activity was increased in the effluents of cosmetic and plating wastewater.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.195-195
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• 2003

It is well known that diesel exhaust particulate matter contains mutagenic PAHs, such as benzo[${\alpha}$]pyrene, benz[${\alpha}$]anthracene, chrysene, etc. Therefore it is suspected that these chemicals act on estrogen receptor and reveal endocrine-disrupting effects. Recent attention has focused on causative chemicals of endocrine-disrupting effects. We examined the estrogenic activity of respirable diesel exhaust particulate matter derived from diesel powered vehicle. PM2.5 diesel exhaust of vehicle was collected using a high volume sampler equipped with a cascade impactor. Diesel exhaust samples were fractionated according to EPA methods. The presence of estrogenic and antiestrogenic chemicals in PM 2.5 diesel exhaust was determined using E-screen assay. To quantitatively assess the estrogenic and antiestrogenic activities in diesel exhaust particulate matter, estradiol equivalent concentration (bio-EEQ) was calculated by comparing the concentration response curve of the sample with those of the estrogen calibration curve. Weak estrogenic activities and strong antiestrogenic activities were detected in the crude extract and moderately polar fractions. Higher antiestrogenic potency was observed with higher EROD activities in aliphatic and aromatic compounds fraction. In conclusion, estrogenic/antiestrogenic-like activities were present in diesel exhaust particulate matter. However, the health consequences of this observation was unknown, the presence of these activities may contribute to and exacerbate adverse health effect evoked by diesel exhaust particulate matter.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.17
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• pp.313-317
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• 2001

The Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan has set up six research groups concerning the endocrine disrupting chemicals. One of these projects was "A study on development of testing methodology for health effects due to exposure of environmental endocrine disruptors". In this paper, three topics are described. In OECD collaboration for pre-validation of uterotrophic assay, the most sensitive response to ethnyl estradiol was noted in the ovarectomized rats treated subcutaneously for 7 days. Secondly, it was suggested that changes of the serum $\alpha_{2u}$-globulin level may be a sensitive parameter for detecting the estrogenic activities of chemicals. Finally, development of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of preoptic area in the brain oj male rats was inhibited by the treatment with estrogenic chemicals, and their masculine behaviors and reproductive abilities were impaired after sexual maturation. In conclusion, these parameters are considered to be sensitive endpoints for testing estrogenic chemicals.chemicals.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.106-113
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• 2006

Phthalate analogues are a plasticizer and solvent used in industry. Phthalates were classified in the category of "suspected" endocrine disruptors. The purpose of our study was to screen and elucidate the endocrine disrupting activity of seven phthalate analogues. E-screen assay was performed in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells with seven phthalate analogues. In this cell proliferation assay, benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) showed high estrogenic activity. Their relative proliferation efficiencies (RPE) were 109 and 106%, respectively. In vitro estrogen receptor (ER) binding assay, BBP, di-n-octyl phthalate (DOP) and dinonyl phthalate (DNP) showed weak relative binding affinity (RBA: 0.02%) compared to $17{\beta}-estradiol\;(E2)$ (RBA: 100%). In uterotrophic assay, E2 produced a significant increase, whereas four tested phthalate analogues had potential estrogenic effects in vitro did not increased in uterus weight in immature rats. From these results, we demonstrated that phthalate analogues exhibit weak estrogenic activity in vitro assays at high concentrations. Although phthalates induced an increase in MCF-7 cell proliferation by an estrogenic effect, they could not induce a uterus weight increase in vivo. From these, we may suggest that these phthalate analogues are easily metabolized to inactive forms in vivo. Further investigation in other in vitro and in vivo experimental systems might be required.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.10-13
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• 2008

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are hard to be degraded in nature, and are also accumulated in diverse organisms. They finally give negative effects to human through the food web. White rot fungi which have lignin-degrading enzymes have high potentials for degradation of recalcitrant compounds, and a white rot fungus, Phlebia tremellosa, isolated in Korea show good degrading activity against the endocrine disrupting phthalates. We have isolated a laccase cDNA which was involved in the degradation of EDCs, and constructed a laccase expression vector to use in the genetic transformation of P. tremellosa. The expression vector was stably integrated into the chromosomal DNAs and showed increased laccase activity in transformants. One of transformants showed not only increased degradation of several EDCs but also faster estrogenic decreasing activities generated by the EDCs.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.82-85
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• 2009

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) disturb animal hormonal system even at very low concentrations, and finally give harmful effects to human through the food web. A white rot fungus Phlebia tremellosa isolated in Korea, was reported to have good degrading activity against the endocrine disrupting phthalates. However, this fungus has very low manganese peroxidase (MnP) activity under various culture conditions while laccase and lignin peroxidase activities were high. We have isolated an MnP cDNA from Trametes versicolor which was involved in the degradation of EDCs, and constructed an MnP expression vector to use in the genetic transformation of P. tremellosa in order to get higher MnP producing strains. Many transformants had integrated expression vector in their chromosomal DNAs, and showed increased MnP activity. One of two transformants showed increased degradation of 4 EDCs (70${\sim}$88%) than the wild type (30${\sim}$45% degradation rates), and showed twice better removal of estrogenic activities generated by the EDCs than the wild type.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.126-126
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• 2001

Over the last few years, an increased awareness of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and their potential to affect wildlife and humans has produced a demand for practical screening methods to identify endocrine activity in a wild range of environmental and industrial chemicals. It is clear that in vivo methods will be required to identify adverse effects produced by these chemicals. (omitted)

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2004

The present study was conducted to test and evaluate estrogenic effect of 17 pesticides including benomy1 and carbaryl, being suspected as endocrine disrupting chemicals. For estrogenic effect examination, luciferase assay were achieved with human ovarian cancer cell, BG1Luc4E2. Estrogenic effects of cypermethrin, dicofol, endosulfan, esfenvalerate, and fenvalerate were observed at the concentration of $10^{-5}$ M by estrogen receptor binding assay. Relative luciferase potency and relative luciferase effects compared with $10^{-10}$ M 17 $\beta$-estradiol were $10^{-5}$, 56% for dicofol, and $10^{-5}$, 72% for endosulfan, respectively. Estimated maximum daily intake for pesticides was calculated from maximum residue limit of agricultural commodity and food consumption was 1.2298 mg/person. Theoretically calculated blood estrogen level from dietary intake for pesticides based on MRL in Korea, 3.075 ng/L was equivalent to 15% of estrogen concentration in normal blood, but practical monitoring data, 0.01938 ng/L was equal to 0.09693% of estrogen concentration in normal blood.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.408-414
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• 1999

A number of chemical released into the environment eliciting their effects by disrupting normal hormonal pathways. Endocrine disrupting compounds are present in the aquatic environment and pose potential health consequences to wildlife and humans. This review are designing fur xenobiotic estrogens based on induction of the egg-yolk precursor protein vitelloge-nin. In fish of aquatic environment, it may result in decrease fertility and egg production in females or lead to reduced gonad size or feminization of genetic male fish. It has been known that male fish exposed to estrogenic compounds show induced production of vitellogenin. Vitello-genin production is normally restricted to adult females, which have elevated estrogen levels during egg production. However, vitellogenin can be induced in males by Pollution of environmental endocrine disruptors. Consequently, the presence of vitellogenin in male fish can serve as an indicator of exposure of environmental endocrine disrupting compounds. In immature fish pol-luted at low levels of environmental endocrine disrupter, vitellogenin can serve as a reliable biomarker for exposure to endocrine disrupter. This review demonstrates the utility of vitellogenin as a biomarker fur exposure to estrogenin agents in auqatic environment.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.27-31
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• 2000

Recently, there is a worldwide concern that a great number of man-made chemicals have a hormone-like action both in humans and in animals. EPA and OECD are developing screening programs using validated test systems to determine whether certain substances may have an effect on humans. In the present study, the establishment of in vivo short-term test system for pubertal female assay with thyroid to detect endocrine disrupting chemicals was tried using a model substance, methoxychlor (MC), a chlorinated hydrocarbon insencticide. Forty female rats were assigned to four groups. MC was administered at dose levels of 0, 8, 40 and 200mg/kg by gavage to female rats from day 21 post partum to the completion of vaginal opening. We evaluated body weight change, age at vaginal opening, onset of estrous cyclicity, age at first esturs, ovary weight, and serum concentrations of thyroxine and thyroid stimulating hormone in female rats. The age at vaginal opening of females receiving 40 200mg/kg was significantly younger than control. The onset of estrus cyclicity and age at first estrus of females receiving 200mg/kg was also younger than controls. There was no effect of treatment on body weight, ovary weight, and hormone concentration. Based on these results, it can be concluded that application of MC at dose level of 40mg/kg affects the vaginal opening and application of MC at dose level of 200mg/kg accelerates the vaginal opening and the onset of estrus cylicity.