ACTIVATION OF alpha, beta ESTROGEN, pS2 AND AhR RECEPTORS BY UV FILTERS IN MCF-7 CELL LINE

Abstract

Endocrine disruptors chemicals including UV filters as cosmetic ingredients has been associated with developmental and reproductive abnormalities in wildlife and is suspected to interfere with human endocrine systems. Over the past few years, in vivo and in vitro investigations showed that some organic UV filters have potential effects as endocrine disruptors. In this study, three extensively used UV filters (4-Methylbenzylidine camphor (4-MBC), Benzo-phenone-3 (BP-3) and Homosalate (HMS)) were evaluated by gene expression levels of pS2, aryl hydrocarbon receptor, estrogen receptor alpha, beta in MCF-7 cell line. In the MCF-7 cell proliferation assay, these UV filters exhibited estrogenic activity, comparable to 17-beta-estradiol (E2) of 100 pM. The estrogenic potency was found as HMS>BP-3>4-MBC. The UV filters have been shown to increase the proliferative activity and alter estrogen-regulated gene expression in MCF-7 cell line. It was observed that 4-MBC and BP-3 have similar effects on gene expressions. HMS may display estrogenic activities through the classical estrogen-response pathway via the ER alpha and AhR in MCF-7 cell line. Taken together with UV filters broad expression, results suggest that HMS was able to induce pS2 gene expression and the greatest response was observed as approximately 1-fold change at the both lowest and highest concentrations.