Study On Estrogenic Effect Of Dechlorane Plus

Dechlorane Plus (DP) is a high production volume chlorinated flame retardant. It can be bioaccumulated in organisms, and has been increasingly detected in environmental matrices and biota. Toxicity data for DP are very limited till now and there is not any report on endocrine disrupting effects of it. Our previous study demonstrated DP could induce vitellogenin (vtg) mRNA expression in male zebrafish, and increase cell proliferation in human breast cancer cell MCF-7. In this study, in vitro tests were carried out according to OECD endocrine disruptor screening-second phase, to determine the estrogenic effect of DP and the possible molecular mechanisms. Results obtained in this study will provide a scientific basis for toxicity and biological risk assessment of DP.Our results demonstrated DP could induce proliferation of MCF-7 cells, and this proliferation effects were both time- and dose-dependent. ICI182780, an estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist, could significantly inhibited DP-induced proliferation of MCF-7 cells. There was no significant difference on cell cycle in MCF-7 cells exposed to DP. Quantitative analysis of mRNA and protein indicated DP could increase expression of ER, as well as target genes of MAPK/ERK pathway (c-myc and c-fos). Based on above results, we presume the possible mechanisms for estrogenic effects of DP may via direct disturbance on ER synthesis, activation of genomic or non-genomic signaling pathways.