Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8339620 | The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | 2011 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
Food is likely to be one of the most important routes of human exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). In the present study, we evaluated the total estrogenic activity of fruits and vegetables, which was calculated using the human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7 BUS) proliferation assay (E-screen), in relation to pesticide residues. We analysed 44 food samples, 30 fruits and 14 vegetables. Of these samples, 10 did not contain any pesticide residues. The other 34 samples contained from 1 to 7 pesticide residues in concentrations ranging from 0.03 to 1.91 ppm. Estrogenic activity was detected in the 59% of samples tested. The positive controls used were 17-β-estradiol (E2), the phytoestrogen genistein and the pesticide endosulfan. The average value of estradiol equivalency quantity (EEQ) for all positive samples was 0.15 ± 0.32 μg/100 g. A low correlation was found between the concentration of pesticide residues and the EEQ values (Spearman correlation r = 0.376 and p = 0.012). Using values obtained from the literature, we compared the estrogenic activity of food samples with the intrinsic content of phytoestrogens, but we found no correlations. Our results also suggested that the calculated intake of dietary EDCs might represent a concentration comparable to the normal endogenous estrogen concentration in human blood.
Keywords
DMEMProliferative effect17b-estradiolEEQeefRPEFCSEFSAEC50SPEDulbecco's modified Eagle MediumEDCsGC–MSLIGpesticidesEuropean Food Safety AuthorityEuropean Solid phase extractionISOIsoflavonesTAMtamoxifenendocrine disruptor compoundsWorld Health OrganizationVegetablesfetal calf serumE-screengas chromatography–mass spectrometryeffective concentration 50Estrogenic activityLignansSpearman rank correlationHPLChigh-performance liquid chromatographyWHOCoumestrolCou
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Authors
T. Schilirò, I. Gorrasi, A. Longo, S. Coluccia, G. Gilli,