Antiestrogenic Potentials of ortho-PCB Congeners by Single or Complex Exposure

• Published in: Archives of pharmacal research 2007, Vol.30 (2), p.199-209
• Main Authors: Oh, Seung-Min, Ryu, Byung-Taek, Lee, Sang-Ki, Chung, Kyu-Hyuck
• Format: Article
• Language: Korean
• ISSN: 0253-6269; 1976-3786

Di-ortho PCB congeners 52, 138, 153 and 180, and the mono-ortho coplanar congener 118 have been detected as a complex mixture in human tissue in Korea. This study examined the antiestrogenic effects of samples exposed to single or combination treatment of the ortho-PCB congeners. In order to determined the combined toxicity, a sample mixture (M1 , M2, M3, M4, and M5) was designed based on the ortho-PCB congeners found in Korean human tissue With the exception of PCB 52, the ortho-PCB congeners (PCB 118, 138, 153, and 180) showed weak antiestrogenic activity. The antiestrogenic activity of di-ortho PCB congeners (PCB 138, 153, and 180) was induced by the depletion of endogenous E$_2$ as well as through the ER-dependent pathway, whereas the antiestrogenic activity of mono-ortho PCB 118 was only induced through the depletion of endogenous E$_2$. When the MCF7-BUS cells were treated with mixtures containing the no effective concentration (10$^{-6}$ M) of the PCB congeners, M3 (PCB 118+ PCB 138+ PCB 180) and M4 (PCB 118+ PCB 138) had an antiestrogenic effect but the other mixtures (M1; PCB 52 + PCB 118 + PCB 138+ PCB 180, M2; PCB 118 + PCB 138+ PCB 153+ PCB 180, M5; PCB 118+ PCB 180) did not. Although the mechanism for the interaction between the PCB congeners is not completely understood, it was presumed that exposure to a mixture of the PCB congeners might have synergistic effects on their antiestrogenicity through the ER-independent pathway.