We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
In silico profiling of endocrine-disrupting potential of bisphenol analogues and their halogenated transformation products
Summary
Researchers used computer modeling to evaluate the endocrine-disrupting potential of 18 bisphenol A analogues and their halogenated transformation products across 14 human hormone receptors. They found that several BPA replacements showed higher predicted endocrine-disrupting activity than BPA itself, with BPZ and BPPH flagged as the most hazardous. The study also found that halogenation generally increased the binding affinity of bisphenols to hormone receptors, raising concerns about the safety of BPA substitutes in the environment.
Due to its endocrine-disrupting properties, bisphenol A (BPA) is being phased out from plastics, thermal paper and epoxy resins, and its replacements are being introduced into the market. Bisphenols are released into the environment, where they can undergo halogenation. Unlike BPA, the endocrine-disrupting potential of BPA analogues and their halogenated transformation products has not been extensively studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the endocrine-disrupting potential of 18 BPA analogues and their halogenated derivatives by calculating affinities for 14 human nuclear receptors utilizing the Endocrine Disruptome and VirtualToxLab™ in silico tools. Our simulations identified AR, ERs, and GR as the most favorable targets of bisphenols and their derivatives. Several BPA analogues displayed a higher predicted potential for endocrine disruption than BPA. Our models highlighted BPZ and BPPH as the most hazardous in terms of predicted endocrine activities. Halogenation, in general, was predicted to increase the binding affinity of bisphenols for AR, ERβ, MR, GR, PPARγ, and TRβ. Notably, mono- or 2,2'-di-halogenated bisphenols exhibited the highest potential for endocrine disruption. In vitro corroboration of the obtained results should be the next milestone in evaluating the safety of BPA substitutes and their halogenated transformation products.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Structural Insights into the Interaction of Bisphenol F (BPF) and Bisphenol S (BPS) with Estrogen Receptors for Endocrine Safety Assessment
Researchers used induced fit docking to model the binding of BPA substitutes bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol S (BPS) to estrogen receptors ERα and ERβ, finding that while both analogues fit the ligand-binding pockets and share interaction similarities with estradiol, their predicted binding affinities were substantially lower than the native ligands, though the authors caution that these computational results do not establish endocrine potency or safety.
Bisphenol Analogs in Aquatic Environments and Their Effects on Marine Species—A Review
This review summarized concentrations of bisphenol A analogs found across aquatic environments globally and assessed their toxic effects on marine species, finding that many BPA substitutes show similar endocrine-disrupting, oxidative, and genotoxic activity to the compound they replaced. The findings raise concerns that current BPA alternatives may not represent a meaningful safety improvement for aquatic ecosystems.
Assessment of endocrine-disrupting activities of alternative chemicals for bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate
Researchers assessed the endocrine-disrupting potential of alternative plasticizers used to replace the commonly restricted DEHP (bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate), finding that several substitutes also displayed hormonal activity. The results raise concerns that some replacement plasticizers used in consumer plastics may carry similar health risks as the chemicals they were designed to replace.
Bisphenolic compounds alter gene expression in MCF-7 cells through interaction with estrogen receptor α
Researchers used RNA sequencing and molecular binding assays to show that bisphenol A and three structural analogs (BPB, BPZ, 4MeBPA) released from plastics activate estrogen receptor alpha in human breast cancer cells, upregulating genes associated with cancer cell growth, invasion, and proliferation — providing evidence that BPA substitutes share similar endocrine-disrupting potential.
BPS and BPF are as Carcinogenic as BPA and are Not Viable Alternatives for its Replacement.
This review presents evidence that BPS and BPF — chemicals used as 'BPA-free' replacements in plastics — have similar cancer-promoting and endocrine-disrupting properties to BPA itself. The substitution of one hormone-disrupting plastic chemical with nearly identical alternatives means consumers are not actually avoiding the health risks they are trying to escape.