Search

The estrogenic/antiestrogenic activity and the genotoxicity/antigenotoxicity of bee pollen from Salix alba L. and Cystus incanus L. and its derivative extracts in yeast and human cells was investigated. All samples showed a marked inhibitory effect on the activity of the natural estrogen 17 beta-estradiol (higher than 90% for extracts 2) and failed to cause estrogenic activity and chromosome damage. At least one preparation from each species showed a marked antigenotoxic effect against the action of the anticancer drugs mytomicin C, bleomycin, and vincristine. Bee pollens from C. incanus and S. alba were found to be neither genotoxic nor estrogenic as well as effective estrogen inhibitors, and able to reduce the chromosome damage induced by the three cancer drugs used, thus supporting their use as a safe food supplement and future chemoprotective/chemopreventive agents., (2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Bottled mineral water consumption is steadily rising in the World. Italy is the largest natural mineral water consumer in Western Europe, about 200L per capita per annum. Recently, research has concentrated upon emerging toxicological problems such as the presence in drinking water of substances which interfere with the function of the endocrine system; defined as endocrine disruptors (EDs). The aim of this study was to assess the risk of exposure of the population to chemicals with estrogen-like activity through mineral water consumption by monitoring the presence of estrogenic compounds in mineral water bottled in polyethylene terephthalate (PET). A solid phase extraction (SPE) with C18 cartridges was carried out. The estrogenic activity of the extracts was assayed using a yeast assay expressing the human estrogen receptor alpha (hERalpha). This preliminary study shows that more than 90% of the water samples did not exhibit any appreciable estrogenic activity. The highest estrogenic activity detected in water extracts was equivalent to the activity induced by 23.1ng/L of the natural hormone 17beta-estradiol. Some mineral water samples showed toxicity on yeast cells.

We evaluated the concentration and congener distribution of seven "target" polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) present in water collected in different aquaculture farms of the Mediterranean area, commercial feeds, and farmed seafood. PCBs were present in feed and in tissues of all the analysed organisms at levels ranging from 1.96 ng g(-1) to 124.00 ng g(-1) wet weight, and in 10.5% of the water samples, at levels from under detection limit to 33.0 ng l(-1) with total PCB concentrations significantly higher in samples from the Tyrrhenian Sea than the Adriatic Sea. PCB congener distribution in tissues resembled that of feed, suggesting that commercial feed is an important source of PCBs. The estrogenicity of organic extracts of the samples was also evaluated by using an in vitro yeast reporter assay. Estrogenic activity higher than 10% of the activity induced by 10 nM 17 beta-estradiol was observed in 20.0% of seafood samples and 15.8% of water samples. Seafood and water samples from the Tyrrhenian Sea were more frequently estrogenic than the Adriatic ones (16.45 versus 4.08%). A significant correlation of total PCB concentrations on biological activity was observed for sea bass and mussels from the Adriatic Sea (p < 0.045 and p < 0.04, respectively), and for sea bass of the Tyrrhenian Sea (p = 0.05). These results indicate the need of an integral approach in the exposure assessment to potential toxic compounds for human via food.

Evidence has been presented that a number of environmental agents perturbs the function of the sex hormone signalling pathways in marine animals. In this work the estrogenic/antiestrogenic activity of coastal marine water samples from five sites of the Northern Mediterranean Sea was assayed using a recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain (RMY326 ER-ERE) transfected with the human estrogen receptor alpha. Extraction of potential EDCs from seawater was performed in columns packed with XAD-2 resins. The estrogenic activity was calculated as percentage of the activity of 17beta-estradiol (10 nM) and it ranged from 4.8% and 59.03%, significantly depending on sampling site (p=0.0013) and season (p<0.05). Antagonistic activity of extracts was also detected and the percentage of inhibition of estradiol-dependent beta-galactosidase induction ranged to 52.8%. These results point the reliability of the yeast assay as a first level screening test to assess the quality of aquatic environments.

The study investigated the responsiveness of a recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain to screen estrogen-like chemicals in order to use it as a first level short-term bioassay for environmental preventive medicine purposes. We used the yeast strain RMY326 ER-ERE, containing the human estrogen receptor alpha and a reporter gene lacZ encoding the enzyme b-galactosidase. We tested the natural steroid hormone 17beta-estradiol, diethylstilbestrol, colchicine, some phytoestrogens and pesticides, and organochlorine insecticides. The relative inductive efficiency (RIE) and EC50 values confirmed the sensitivity and specificity of the yeast strain. A statistically significant reproducibility of results in repeated experiments was assessed.