Search Results (5)

Triclosan and Triclocarban, preservatives widely used in cosmetics and other consumer products, underwent evaluation using a battery of new-approach methodologies in vitro (NAMs). Specifically, the Microplate Ames Test (MPF™ Test, Xenometrix, Allschwil, Switzerland) was employed to assess mutagenicity, the Comet assay in vitro on the HaCat cell line and the Mammalian Chromosome Aberration Test were utilized to evaluate genotoxicity, and the XenoScreen^® YES/YAS assay was applied to investigate endocrine disruption. The chemicals did not exhibit any positive responses for mutagenicity. However, the mammalian chromosome aberration test identified both chemicals as being positive for genotoxicity at 10 µg/mL. In the Comet assay, the percentage of DNA in the tail significantly increased in a concentration-dependent manner (at 5 and 10 µg/mL for Triclosan, at 2.5, 5, and 10 µg/mL for Triclocarban). The positive response depended on the increasing concentration and the duration of exposure. Triclosan, but not Triclocarban in any of the endocrine assays performed, indicated a potential for endocrine activity in the anti-estrogenic and anti-androgenic assays. The positive in vitro results detected were obtained for concentrations relevant to final products. The alarming findings obtained with the use of new-approach methodologies (NAMs) justify the current precautionary regulatory approach, limiting the use of these preservatives. Full article

This article presents the results of a study on the oestrogenicity and androgenicity of urban wastewater in Lodz, and the possibility of their removal by the Group Wastewater Treatment Plant (GWWTP). Wastewater samples were taken at five points of the sewer system in the city and at the inlet and outlet of the GWWTP. The study was conducted using Yeast Oestrogen Screen (YES)/Yeast Androgen Screen (YAS) tests, which allow a general assessment of the content of compounds with (anti-)oestrogenic and (anti-)androgenic effects in wastewater, without identifying specific substances. Wastewater samples taken from the sewage network did not show (anti-)oestrogenic activity, while oestrogenic and antagonistic properties to androgens were detected in most of them. In the influent of the treatment plant, oestrogen agonistic activity was detected only in one sample (oestrogen equivalent—EEQ equal to 1.31 × 10⁵ ng 17 β–oestradiol/L) and was 100% removed. The purification efficiencies in GWWTP for oestrogen and androgen antagonistic activity were 51.5–99.2% and 39.4–47.1%, respectively. Although no oestrogenic activity was detected in general wastewater in Lodz, observed high-antagonistic–androgenic activities may adversely affect the water body and cause, among others, the feminization of fish, especially in the case of discharge of untreated wastewater by combined sewer overflows. Full article

Endocrine active compounds with structural similarities to natural hormones such as 17β-estradiol (E2) and androgen are suspected to affect the human endocrine system by inducing hormone-dependent effects. This study aimed to detect the (anti-)estrogenic and (anti-)androgenic activities of mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) by yeast estrogen/androgen bioassay (YES/YAS). In addition, the mechanism and uptake of MEHP to receptors during agonistic and antagonistic activities were investigated through the activation signal recovery test and chromatographic analysis using liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Estrogenic and androgenic activities of MEHP were not observed. However, MEHP exhibited anti-estrogenic (IC₅₀ = 125 μM) and anti-androgenic effects (IC₅₀ = 736 μM). It was confirmed that these inhibitory effects of MEHP were caused by receptor-mediated activity of the estrogen receptor and non-receptor-mediated activity of the androgen receptor in an activation signal recovery test. When IC₅₀ concentrations of anti-estrogenic and androgenic activity of MEHP were exposed to yeast cells, the uptake concentration observed was 0.0562 ± 0.0252 μM and 0.143 ± 0.0486 μM by LC-MS/MS analysis. Full article

Confronted with the great challenges of globally growing populations and food shortages, society must achieve future food security by increasing grain output and narrowing the gap between potential yields and farmers’ actual yields. This study attempts to diagnose the climatic and agronomic dimensions of oat yield gaps and further to explore their restrictions. A conceptual framework was put forward to analyze the different dimensions of yield gaps and their limiting factors. We quantified the potential yield (Yp), attainable yield (Yt), experimental yield (Ye), and farmers’ actual yield (Ya) of oat, and evaluated three levels of yield gaps in a rain-fed cropping system in North and Northeast China (NC and NEC, respectively). The results showed that there were great differences in the spatial distributions of the four kinds of yields and three yield gaps. The average yield gap between Yt and Ye (YG-II) was greater than the yield gap between Yp and Yt (YG-I). The yield gap between Ye and Ya (YG-III) was the largest among the three yield gaps at most sites, which indicated that farmers have great potential to increase their crop yields. Due to non-controllable climatic conditions (e.g., light and temperature) for obtaining Yp, reducing YG-I is extremely difficult. Although YG-II could be narrowed through enriching soil nutrients, it is not easy to improve soil quality in the short term. In contrast, narrowing YG-III is the most feasible for farmers by means of introducing high-yield crop varieties and optimizing agronomic managements (e.g., properly adjusting sowing dates and planting density). This study figured out various dimensions of yield gaps and investigated their limiting factors, which should be helpful to increase farmers’ yields and regional crop production, as long as these restrictions are well addressed. Full article

Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the most popular and commonly used plasticizer in the industry. Over the past decade, new chemicals that belong to the bisphenol group have increasingly been used in industrial applications as alternatives to BPA. Nevertheless, information on the combined effects of bisphenol (BP) analogues is insufficient. Therefore, our current study aimed to find the biological response modulations induced by the binary mixtures of BP compounds. We determined the toxicity levels in Microtox and XenoScreen YES/YAS assays for several BP analogs alone, and for their binary mixtures. The results obtained constituted the database for chemometric intelligent data analysis to evaluate the possible interactions occurring in the mixtures. Several chemometric/biophysical models have been used (concentration addition—CA, independent action—IA and polynomial regression calculations) to realize this aim. The best fitting was found for the IA model and even in this description strong evidence for synergistic behaviors (modes of action) of some bisphenol analogue mixtures was demonstrated. Bisphenols A, S, F and FL were proven to be of significant endocrine threat (with respect to XenoScreen YES/YAS assay); thus, their presence in mixtures (including presence in tissues of living organisms) should be most strictly monitored and reported. Full article