Estrogenic activity and cytotoxicity of six anticancer drugs detected in water systems

The results of estrogenic activity, detected by E-screen and expressed as EC50, showed a high potential of imatinib (10− 7 μM) followed by cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil. Capecitabine was poorly estrogenic while etoposide and doxorubicin EC50 values were not possible to determine. Cytotoxicity was found at concentrations far from those detected in effluents. The potential endocrine activity of the most active drugs could be associated with human and wildlife risk when considering their occurrence in the environment.