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.

Final Progress Reports: University of Iowa: PCBs and Cytosolic Phenol and Steroid Sulfotransferases

Superfund Research Program

PCBs and Cytosolic Phenol and Steroid Sulfotransferases

Project Leader: Michael W. Duffel
Grant Number: P42ES013661
Funding Period: 2006-2020
View this project in the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT)

Project-Specific Links

Connect with the Grant Recipients

Visit the grantee's eNewsletter page Visit the grantee's eNewsletter page Visit the grantee's Twitter page

Final Progress Reports

Year:   2019  2014  2009 

Project research during the past year has provided valuable new information that will enable assessment of the potential for sulfated metabolites to be significant contributors to the toxicities observed upon exposure to airborne polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This has included the development of a rigorous method for analysis of PCB sulfates in human serum, wherein detection and quantitation of a total of 124 PCB sulfate congeners is now possible. The method involves tandem gas chromatographic/mass spectral analysis of hydroxylated PCBs in serum before and after hydrolysis of the PCB sulfates catalyzed by an affinity chromatography-purified sulfatase. While this enzyme is highly specific for sulfate esters, it utilizes a broad range of PCB sulfates. The procedure will now be applied to determine the concentrations of PCB sulfates in serum samples from mothers and their children. The researchers have also made progress in establishing parameters for LC/MS/MS analysis of four PCB sulfates in human urine samples (i.e., 4’-PCB 3 sulfate, 4-PCB 11 sulfate, 4’-PCB 25 sulfate, and 4-PCB 52 sulfate). These are metabolites that are derived from four major PCBs that are commonly detected in indoor air. The toxicological significance of these PCBs has been previously demonstrated. Additionally, during the past year, the researchers have completed collaborative studies on the interaction of key hydroxylated PCBs and PCB sulfates with thyroid hormone receptors and have investigated the specificity of human microsomal sulfatase for PCB sulfates. These studies significantly advance our understanding of the roles of metabolism in toxicities associated with airborne PCBs.

Back
to Top