To Örebro University

Zinc is an essential trace metal required for the maintenance of multiple physiological functions. Due to this, organisms can experience both zinc deficiency and toxicity. Hardness is recognized as one of the main modifying physiochemical factors regulating zinc bioavailability. Therefore, the present study analyzed the effect of hardness on zinc toxicity using Daphnia magna. Endpoint parameters were acute-toxicity, development, reproduction, and expression data for genes involved in metal regulation and oxidative stress. In addition, the temporal expression profiles of genes during the initiation of reproduction and molting were investigated. Water hardness influenced the survival in response to exposures to zinc. A zinc concentration of 50μg/L in soft water (50 mg CaCO₃ /L) caused 73% mortality after 96h exposure, whereas the same zinc concentration in the hardest water did not cause any significant mortality. Moreover, increasing water hardness from 100 to 200mg CaCO₃ /L resulted in a reduced number of offspring. Fecundity was higher at first brood for groups exposed to higher Zn concentrations. The survival data was used to assess the precision of the bioavailability models (Bio-met) and the geochemical model (Visual MINTEQ). As the Bio-met risk predictions overestimated the Zn toxicity, a competition-based model to describe the effects of hardness on zinc toxicity is proposed. This approach can be used to minimize differences in setting environmental quality standards. Moreover, gene expression data showed that using the toxicogenomic approach was more sensitive than the physiological endpoints. Therefore, data presented in the study can be used to improve risk assessment for zinc toxicity.

Androgen receptor (AR) signaling is often activated in prostate cancer (PCa) cells, and blockage of this signaling by AR antagonists is an important strategy in PCa therapy. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of 2-(5-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl) acetamide derivatives, and evaluated their biological activities. AR luciferase reporter assay revealed compound 6f (59.7%) as a potent AR antagonist. Some compounds in this series showed higher anti-proliferative activity against LNCaP cells than Bicalutamide (IC50=35.0M), especially 6g with IC50 value of 13.6 mu M.

Estrogen receptor (ER) sequences vary between species and this suggests that there are differences in the ligand-specificity, leading to species-specific effects. This would indicate that it is not possible to generalize effects across species. In this study, we investigated the differences in activation potencies and binding affinities of ER´s alpha (α) and beta (β) in human, zebrafish and sea bream to elucidate species differences in response to estradiol, estrone, estriol and methyltestosterone. In vitro analysis showed that estradiol had the highest activity for all the ER´s except for human ERβ and seabream ERβ2. Alignment of the ligand binding domain and ligand binding pocket (LBP) residues of the three species showed that different residues were involved in the LBPs which led to differences in pocket volume, affected binding affinity and orientation of the ligands. By combining in silico and in vitro results, it was possible to identify the ligand specificities of ER´s. The results demonstrated that the human ER´s show lower resolution in ligand-dependent activation, suggesting higher promiscuity, than the zebrafish and seabream ER´s. These results show species-specificity of ER´s and suggest that species-specific differences must be taken into consideration when studying different exposure scenarios.

Androgen receptor (AR) signaling functions as a core driving force for the progression of prostate cancer (PCa), and AR has been proved to be an effective therapeutic target even for castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Herein, structural modification via a fragments splicing strategy was performed based on two lead compounds T3 and 10e, leading to the discovery of a series of 5-methyl-1H-pyrazole derivatives. AR reporter gene assay revealed compounds A13 and A14 as potent AR antagonists. Some of the compounds in this series inhibited growth of PCa LNCaP cells more efficiently than enzalutamide. A13 and A14 also showed improved metabolic stability comparing with 10e in human liver microsomes.

Point mutations in the AR ligand-binding domain (LBD) can result in altered AR structures leading to changes of ligand specificity and functions. AR mutations associated to prostate cancer (PCa) have been shown to result in receptor activation by non-androgenic substances and anti-androgenic drugs. Two AR mutations known to alter the function of anti-androgens are the ART877A mutation, which is frequently detected mutation in PCa tumors and the ARW741C that is rare and has been derived in vitro following exposure of cells to the anti-androgen bicalutamide. AR activation by non-androgenic environmental substances has been suggested to affect PCa progression. In the present study we investigated the effect of AR mutations (ARW741C and ART877A) on the transcriptional activation following exposure of cells to an androgenic brominated flame retardant, 1,2-dibromo-4-(1,2 dibromoethyl) cyclohexane (TBECH, also named DBE-DBCH). The AR mutations resulted in higher interaction energies and increased transcriptional activation in response to TBECH diastereomer exposures. The ART877A mutation rendered AR highly responsive to low levels of DHT and TBECH and led to increased AR nuclear translocation. Gene expression analysis showed a stronger induction of AR target genes in LNCaP cells (ART877A) compared to T-47D cells (ARWT) following TBECH exposure. Furthermore, AR knockdown experiments confirmed the AR dependency of these responses. The higher sensitivity of ART877A and ARW741C to low levels of TBECH suggests that cells with these AR mutations are more susceptible to androgenic endocrine disrupters.

Brominated flame-retardants (BFRs) are used in industrial products to reduce the risk of fire. However, their continuous release into the environment is a concern as they are often persistent, bioaccumulating and toxic. Information on the impact these compounds have on human health and wildlife is limited and only a few of them have been identified to disrupt hormone receptor functions. In the present study we used in silico modeling to determine the interactions of selected BFRs with the human androgen receptor (AR). Three compounds were found to dock into the ligand-binding domain of the human AR and these were further tested using in vitro analysis. Allyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (ATE), 2-bromoallyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (BATE) and 2,3-dibromopropyl-2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (DPTE) were observed to act as AR antagonists. These BFRs have recently been detected in the environment, in house dust and in aquatic animals. The compounds have been detected at high concentrations in both blubber and brain of seals and we therefore also assessed their impact on the expression of L-type amino acid transporter system (LAT) genes, that are needed for amino acid uptake across the blood-brain barrier, as disruption of LAT gene function has been implicated in several brain disorders. The three BFRs down-regulated the expression of AR target genes that encode for prostate specific antigen (PSA), 5. α-reductases and β-microseminoprotein. The potency of PSA inhibition was of the same magnitude as the common prostate cancer drugs, demonstrating that these compounds are strong AR antagonists. Western blot analysis of AR protein showed that ATE, BATE and DPTE decreased the 5. α-dihydrotestosterone-induced AR protein levels, further confirming that these BFRs act as AR antagonists. The transcription of the LAT genes was altered by the three BFRs, indicating an effect on amino-acid uptake across cellular membranes and blood-brain barrier. This study demonstrated that ATE, BATE and DPTE are potent AR antagonists and the alterations in LAT gene transcription suggest that these compounds can affect neuronal functions and should be considered as potential neurotoxic and endocrine disrupting compounds.

The brominated flame retardants (BFRs) 1,2-dibromo-4-(1,2-dibromoethyl)cyclohexane (TBECH or DBE-DCBH) and allyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (ATE or TBP-AE) are alternative BFRs that have been introduced to replace banned BFRs. TBECH is a potential endocrine disrupter in human, chicken and zebrafish and in a recent study we showed that ATE, along with the structurally similar BFR 2,3-dibromopropyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (DPTE or TBP-DBPE) and its metabolite 2-bromoallyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (BATE or TBP-BAE) are potential endocrine and neuronal disrupters in human. In this study we analyzed ATE, BATE and DPTE for zebrafish androgen receptor (zAR) modulating properties. In silico analysis with two softwares, Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) and Internal Coordinate Mechanics (ICM), showed that ATE, BATE and DPTE bind to zAR. In vitro AR activation assay revealed that these three BFRs down-regulate 11-ketotestosterone (KT) mediated zAR activation. Exposure to 10 mu M DPTE resulted in reduced hatching success and like TBECH, BATE and DPTE at 10 mu M also had teratogenic properties with 20% and 50% back-bone curvature respectively. Gene transcription analysis in zebrafish embryos as well as in juveniles showed down-regulation of the androgen receptor and androgen response genes, which further support that these BFRs are androgen antagonists and potential endocrine disrupting compounds. Genes involved in steroidogenesis were also down-regulated by these BFRs. In view of this, the impact of these BFRs on humans and wildlife needs further analysis.

The survival of organisms depends on their ability to use different signaling pathways to adapt to the environment. The endocrine system consists of glands that release hormones to the blood stream. Male reproductive functions are regulated by androgens through interactions with the androgen receptor (AR). AR has been characterized in chicken and zebrafish where they use testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone as their primary androgens, respectively. AR function has been disturbed by different endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) present in the environment causing detrimental effects on avian and fish species. Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are a group of EDCs that are ubiquitous in the environment. Molecular modeling techniques using computer simulations such as docking and molecular dynamics are a useful tool in the identification of EDCs. The capacity to test thousands of compounds at once has helped in the early identification of EDCs that interact with AR. Two groups of BFRs, the 1,2-dibromo-4- cyclohexane diastereomers (TBECH) and the compounds synthesized from 2, 4, 6-tribromophenol, allyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (ATE), 2-bromoallyl 2,4,6- tribromophenyl ether (BATE) and 2,3-dibromopropyl 2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (DPTE) interact and alter AR activity in human in vitro studies. As models for avian and fish species, chicken and zebrafish were used to test these BFRs. TBECH diastereomers were able to bind to the AR, estrogen receptors and thyroid receptors in the chicken and to the AR in zebrafish. ATE, BATE and DPTE were also able to interact with the chicken AR and zebrafish AR. Activation studies using cell lines showed that TBECH diastereomers acted as agonists to the cAR and zAR while ATE, BATE and DPTE acted as antagonists. The BFRs also altered multiple signaling pathways such as the apoptotic, antiapoptotic, immune, drug metabolizing and DNA methylation systems and in vivo studies resulted in physiological effects on zebrafish.

Increased exposure of birds to endocrine disrupting compounds has resulted in developmental and reproductive dysfunctions. We have recently identified the flame retardants, ally1-2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (TBP-AE), 2-3-dibromopropy1-2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (TBP-DBPE) and the TBP-DBPE metabolite 2-bromoallyI-2,4,6-tribromophenyl ether (TBP-BAE) as antagonists to both the human androgen receptor (AR) and the zebrafish AR. In the present study, we aimed at determining whether these compounds also interact with the chicken AR. In silico modeling studies showed that TBP-AE, TBP-BAE and TBP-DBPE were able to dock into to the chicken AR ligand-binding pocket. In vitro transfection assays revealed that all three brominated compounds acted as chicken AR antagonists, inhibiting testosterone induced AR activation. In addition, qRT-PCR studies confirmed that they act as AR antagonists and demonstrated that they also alter gene expression patterns of apoptotic, anti-apoptotic, drug metabolizing and amino acid transporter genes. These studies, using chicken LMH cells, suggest that TBP-AE, TBP-BAE and TBP-DBPE are potential endocrine disrupters in chicken.

The incorporation of brominated flame retardants into industrial and household appliances has increased their occurrence in the environment, resulting in deleterious effects on wildlife. With the increasing restraints on available compounds, there has been a shift to using brominated flame retardants that has seen the production of alternative brominated flame retardants such as 1,2-dibromo-4-(1,2 dibromoethyl) cyclohexane (TBECH), which has been detected in the environment. In previous in silico and in vitro studies the authors have shown that TBECH can activate both the human androgen receptor (hAR) and the zebrafish AR (zAR) suggesting that it is a potential endocrine disruptor. The present study was aimed at determining the interaction of TBECH with the chicken AR (cAR). In the present study, TBECH bound to cAR, but in vitro activation assay studies using the chicken LMH cell line showed it had a potency of only 15% compared with testosterone. Sequence difference between ARs from different species may contribute to the different responses to TBECH. Further quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that TBECH interacted with and altered the expression of both thyroid receptors and estrogen receptors. In addition, the qRT-PCR analysis showed that TBECH altered the transcription pattern of genes involved in inflammatory, apoptotic, proliferative, DNA methylation, and drug-metabolizing pathways. This demonstrates that TBECH, apart from activating cAR, can also influence multiple biological pathways in the chicken.