title: Hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as estrogens and antiestrogens: structure-activity relationships.
abstract: The effects of structure on the estrogenicity and antiestrogenicity of hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls were investigated using the following estrogen-sensitive assays: competitive binding to the rat and mouse cytosolic estrogen receptor (ER); immature rat and mouse uterine wet weight, peroxidase and progesterone receptor (PR) levels; induction of luciferase activity in HeLa cells stably transfected with a Gal4:human ER chimera and a 17mer-regulated luciferase reporter gene; proliferation of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells; induction of chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) activity in MCF-7 cells transiently transfected with a full-length human ER expression plasmid and a plasmid containing an estrogen-responsive vitellogenin A2 promoter linked to a CAT reporter gene. The chemicals synthesized for this study contained a 4-hydroxy group in one ring, a 2- or 3-chloro substituent meta or ortho to the hydroxyl group, and variable substitution (2',3',4',5'-, 2',3',4',6'-, 2',3',5',6'-tetrachloro and 2',4',6'-trichloro) in the chlorophenyl ring. The compounds included: 2,2',3',4',5'- (A), 2,2',3',4',6'- (B), and 2,2',3',5',6'-pentachloro- (C); 2,2',4',6'-tetrachloro-4-biphenylol (D); 2',3,3',4',5'- (E), 2',3,3',4',6'- (F), and 2',3,3',5',6'-pentachloro (G); and 2',3,4',6'-tetrachloro-4-biphenylol (H). With the exception of 2',3,4',6'-tetrachloro-4-biphenylol (H), all of the compounds competitively bound to the mouse and rat ER with relative binding affinities [compared to 17beta-estradiol (E2)] varying from 1.4 x 10(-3) to 5.3 x 10(-5). The structure-ER binding relationships for the hydroxy-PCB congeners were different in the rat and mouse, and no dose-dependent estrogenic activities were observed in the mouse or rat uterus. Several hydroxy-PCB congeners exhibited antiestrogenic activity (primarily in the mouse uterus) and two compounds, 2,2',3',5',6- and 2,2',3',4',6'-pentachloro-4-biphenylol, inhibited E2-induced uterine wet weight, PR binding, and peroxidase activity in the mouse uterus. 2,2',3',4',5'- and 2,2',3',4',6'-Pentachloro-4-biphenylol induced CAT activity in MCF-7 cells transiently transfected with the Vit-CAT plasmid; the remaining congeners did not induce CAT activity but exhibited antiestrogenic activity in MCF-7 cells cotreated with 10(-9) E2 plus 10(-5) M hydroxy-PCBs. Complementary structure-estrogenicity relationships were observed utilizing the HeLa cell luciferase induction and MCF-7 cell proliferation assays. The placement of the 2- or 3-chloro groups in the phenolic ring had minimal effects on estrogenic activity, whereas 2,4,6-trichloro- and 2,3,4,6-tetrachloro substitution in the chlorophenyl ring (B, D, F, and H) were required for this response. Substitution in the phenolic ring was also not important for structure-antiestrogenicity relationships, and the most active compounds (A, C, E, and G) contained 2',3',4',5'- and 2',3',5',6'-tetrachlorophenyl groups. Thus, structure-estrogenicity/antiestrogenicity relationships for this series of hydroxy-PCBs were complex and response-specific.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843-4466, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Connor
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ramamoorthy
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mustain
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Safe
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zacharewski
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gillesby
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Joyeux
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Balaguer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004790:Enzyme Induction / Q000187:drug effects; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects; D006367:HeLa Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008156:Luciferases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010544:Peroxidases / Q000378:metabolism; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014599:Uterus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D014819:Vitellogenins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004965:Estrogen Antagonists; D004967:Estrogens; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014819:Vitellogenins; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D010544:Peroxidases; D008156:Luciferases; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase