Skip Navigation
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document
Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document

Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: In vitro exposure of porcine prepubertal follicles to 4-chlorobiphenyl (PCB3) and its hydroxylated metabolites: effects on sex hormone levels and aromatase activity.

Authors: Ptak, Anna; Ludewig, Gabriele; Robertson, Larry; Lehmler, Hans-Joachim; Gregoraszczuk, Ewa L

Published In Toxicol Lett, (2006 Jul 1)

Abstract: The present study was undertaken to investigate the endocrine disrupting activity of PCB3 and its hydroxylated metabolites 4-OH-PCB3 and 3,4-diOH-PCB3 in ovarian follicle cells derived from prepubertal animals with special emphasis on cytochrome P-450-dependent aromatase (CYP19). Aromatase activity was assayed simply by measuring the production of 17beta-estradiol in the culture medium after addition of the substrate (testosterone). Theca interna and granulosa cells were exposed in vitro to 6 ng/ml of test chemicals for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. PCBs stimulated the conversion of testosterone to estradiol in all treatments. In addition, PCB3, and to a lesser extent its metabolites, decreased progesterone secretion by these cells. This increase in estradiol and simultaneous decrease in progesterone suggests that progesterone is converted to testosterone and further to estradiol. The rank order of potency in estradiol secretion was 3,4-diOH-PCB3>4-OH-PCB3>PCB3. The non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor CGS 16949A abolished this stimulatory activity, and reduced estradiol levels in treatment and control groups below the control levels, verifying that the increased estradiol secretion by follicle cells was due to aromatase activity. We infer that: (1) metabolism of PCB3 does not protect against endocrine disruption and (2) the estrogenic effect of these compounds is due to stimulation of aromatase activity.

PubMed ID: 16412591 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: No MeSH terms associated with this publication

Back
to Top