Abstract
Background: Humans and animals are continuously exposed to a number of environmental substances that act as endocrine disruptors (EDs). While a growing body of evidence is available to prove their adverse health effects, very little is known about the consequences of simultaneous exposure to a combination of such chemicals; Methods: Here, we used an in vitro model to demonstrate how exposure to bisphenol A, zearalenone, arsenic, and 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, alone or in combination, affect estrogen receptor β (ERβ) mRNA expression in primary cerebellar cell cultures. Additionally, we also show the modulatory role of intrinsic biological factors, such as estradiol (E2), triiodo-thyronine (T3), and glial cells, as potential effect modulators; Results: Results show a wide diversity in ED effects on ERβ mRNA expression, and that the magnitude of these ED effects highly depends on the presence or absence of E2, T3, and glial cells; Conclusion: The observed potency of the EDs to influence ERβ mRNA expression, and the modulatory role of E2, T3, and the glia suggests that environmental ED effects may be masked as long as the hormonal milieu is physiological, but may tend to turn additive or superadditive in case of hormone deficiency.
Highlights
Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are environmental pollutants, phytoestrogens or mycoestrogens that, in case of exposure, disrupt the physiological regulatory pathways of some endogenous hormones, mostly those of estrogens (17β-estradiol, E2) and thyroid hormones (THs)
Statistical analyses were carried out by the Department of Biomathematics, Szent Istvan University Faculty of Results of hormone treatments were concordant with those we previously described [22], so they will not be the major focus of this report; rather, these non-endocrine disruptors (EDs) results are used as the reference base for the comparison between the effects of EDs alone and in combination with E2 and T3
In glia reduced” (Glia)+, Bisphenol A (BPA) alone reduced estrogen receptor β (ERβ) transcription to one third, whereas in Glia– there was only a minimal, non-significant reduction compared to the respective non-treated control (ntC)
Summary
Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are environmental pollutants, phytoestrogens or mycoestrogens that, in case of exposure, disrupt the physiological regulatory pathways of some endogenous hormones, mostly those of estrogens (17β-estradiol, E2) and thyroid hormones (THs). The endocrine disrupting potency of EDs is, for the most part, the result of their ability to bind to either/or estrogen receptors (ERs) and TH receptors (TR). During their everyday lives, both humans and animals are simultaneously exposed to a multitude of EDs [1]. We show the modulatory role of intrinsic biological factors, such as estradiol (E2), triiodo-thyronine (T3), and glial cells, as potential effect modulators; Results: Results show a wide diversity in ED effects on ERβ mRNA expression, and that the magnitude of these ED effects highly depends on the presence or absence of E2, T3, and glial cells; Conclusion: The observed potency of the EDs to influence ERβ mRNA expression, and the modulatory role of E2, T3, and the glia suggests that environmental ED effects may be masked as long as the hormonal milieu is physiological, but may tend to turn additive or superadditive in case of hormone deficiency.
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