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p-Nonyl-phenol: an estrogenic xenobiotic released from "modified" polystyrene
A M Soto1, H Justicia, J W Wray
1Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, Tufts University Health Sciences Schools, Boston, MA 02111.
Environmental Health Perspectives
|May 1, 1991
Summary
Plastic centrifuge tubes can release nonylphenol, an estrogenic chemical. This discovery highlights potential risks to research, human health, and the environment from plastic additives.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Endocrinology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Alkylphenols are common plastic additives and surfactants.
- Potential endocrine-disrupting effects of plasticizers are a growing concern.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify estrogenic substances leaching from plastic centrifuge tubes.
- To investigate the biological activity of identified compounds.
Main Methods:
- Extraction and purification using methanol, flash chromatography, and HPLC.
- Identification via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
- In vitro assays using human MCF7 breast cancer cells and in vivo assays using rat endometrium.
Main Results:
- Nonylphenol was identified as an estrogenic compound leaching from plastic tubes.
- Nonylphenol induced cell proliferation and progesterone receptor in MCF7 cells.
- Nonylphenol stimulated mitotic activity in rat endometrium, validating the cell-based assay.
Conclusions:
- Plasticware can leach nonylphenol, potentially causing artifactual results in estrogen-sensitive assays.
- The estrogenic properties of nonylphenol pose risks to human health and the environment.
- Caution is advised when using plastic materials containing alkylphenols in research and diagnostics.