Endocrine disruptors and rat adrenocortical function: studies on freshly dispersed and cultured cells

The effects of four endocrine disruptors: resveratrol, diphenylolpropane (bisphenol-A; BSP), benzophenone-3 (BP3) and silymarin on the secretory and proliferative activity of rat adrenocortical cells were investigated in vitro. Resveratrol and BP3 acutely increased basal corticosterone secretion from freshly dispersed adrenocortical cells, and resveratrol and BSP enhanced ACTH-stimulated cells. The 24-h exposure to resveratrol and BP3 increased basal corticosterone production from cultured adrenocortical cells, while ACTH-stimulated secretion was increased only by resveratrol. BSP was ineffective, while silymarin decreased basal, but not ACTH-stimulated secretion. The proliferative activity of the cultured adrenocortical cells was unaffected by the tested disruptors. In conclusion, the in vitro direct effect of endocrine disruptors on adrenocortical steroidogenesis displays a great variability, which seems to depend not only on their chemical nature, but also on their dose and the duration of the exposure of the studied cells.