Dioxin-like Potency of HO- and MeO- Analogues of PBDEs’ the Potential Risk through Consumption of Fish from Eastern China

Abstract

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and their analogues, such as hydroxylated PBDE (HO-PBDEs) and methoxylated PBDE (MeO-PBDEs) are of interest due to their wide distribution, bioaccumulation and potential toxicity to humans and wildlife. While information on the toxicity/biological potencies of PBDEs was available, information on analogues of PBDEs was limited. Dioxin-like toxicity of 34 PBDEs analogues was evaluated by use of the H4IIE-luc, rat hepatoma transactivation bioassay in 384-well plate format at concentrations ranging from 0 to 10 000 ng/mL. Among the 34 target analogues of PBDEs studied here, 19 activated the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and induced significant dioxin-like responses in H4IIE-luc cells. Efficacies of the analogues of PBDEs ranged from 5.0% to 101.8% of the maximum response caused by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD-max) and their respective 2,3,7,8-TCDD potency factors (ReP(H4IIE-luc)) ranged from 7.35 × 10(-12) to 4.00 × 10(-4), some of which were equal to or more potent than some mono-ortho-substituted PCBs (TEF-(WHO) = 3 × 10(-5)). HO-PBDEs exhibited greater dioxin-like activity than did the corresponding MeO-PBDEs. Analogues of PBDEs were detected mostly in marine organisms. Of these 11 detected analogues of PBDEs, 6 were found to have measurable dioxin-like potency. Though some analogues of PBDEs exhibited significant dioxin-like potency as measured by responses of the H4IIE-luc transactivation assay, concentrations of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) equivalents ((PBDEs analogues)TEQ(H4IIE-luc)), calculated as the sum of the product of concentrations of individual PBDE and their ReP(H4IIE-luc), were less than the tolerance limit proposed by European Union and the oral reference dose (RfD) derived by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, respectively. (Hazard Quotients (HQ) < 0.005) Additional investigations should be conducted to evaluate the toxic potencies of these chemicals, especially for 2'-MeO-BDE-28, 4-HO-BDE-90, 6-HO-BDE-47, and 6-MeO-BDE-47, which had been detected in other environmental media, including human blood.