| Stilbene-related pharmaceuticals and personal care products have been detected in sewage effluents and surface waters. The effects of a suite of stilbene-related personal care products and pharmaceutical products were tested in vitro on the human estrogen receptor and rainbow trout estrogen receptor and in vivo in rainbow trout using the vitellogenin biomarker test. The results indicated that many of these compounds behaved similar to known pharmaceutical inhibitors, and the most common structural similarity, in addition to the stilbene backbone, was the presence of the 4-hydroxy phenyl group. Stilbene products found to act as inhibitors at the estrogen receptor include a group of plant-derived compounds including resveratrol, a dietary supplement, and DSBP a fluorescent whitening agent that is a common textile detergent additive. The presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the environment will challenge traditional models and risk assessment frameworks for predicting effects due to their upredictable effects at low doses and atypical environmental behavior. |
