Identification of endocrine disrupting chemicals acting on human aromatase.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
In vitro biochemical assay study (bench research)
PubMed 28578073 · doi:10.1016/j.bbapap.2017.05.013
What was done
An in vitro alkali assay measuring NADP+ turnover was tested for human aromatase activity screening. The assay was validated with known inhibitors (anastrozole and sildenafil) and applied to a small library of compounds (including resveratrol, ketoconazole, bisphenol A, nicotine, lindane, and four plasticizers), with findings confirmed via estrone ELISA.
What was found
Resveratrol and ketoconazole inhibited human aromatase activity. Bisphenol A and nicotine showed inhibition only at high concentrations (100 µM). Lindane and four plasticizers produced no significant effect. No exact percentage inhibition or IC50 values were reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
Provides a rapid, high-throughput-compatible in vitro method to screen potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals that target human aromatase or other NAD(P)H-dependent enzymes.
Limits
Purely in vitro biochemical assay with no cellular, animal, or human exposure validation. The chemical test panel was small and quantitative potency metrics were not detailed in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Bisphenol A (BPA) inhibits the enzyme aromatase, which converts testosterone into estrogen.