Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Estrogen receptor- and aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated activities of a coal-tar creosote

Journal Article · · Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

A coal-tar creosote was examined for estrogen receptor (ER)- and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-mediated activity using a battery of mechanistically based assays. In vitro, creosote was found to bind to the mouse ER, bind to the human sex hormone-binding globulin, and elicit partial agonist activity in reporter gene assays in transiently transfected MCF-7 cells. Based on competitive binding to the mouse ER, creosote contains approximately 165 mg/L of estradiol-equivalents. Creosote effectively transformed the AhR in vitro and induced a Cyplal-regulated luciferase reporter gene in transiently transfected Hepa 1c1c7 cells. Based on dose-response curves, creosote contains approximately 730 mg/L of dioxin-equivalents. Creosote did not exhibit any AhR-mediated antiestrogenic activity in vitro. In vivo, creosote significantly induced liver pentoxyresorufin O-depentylation and ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylation (EROD) in a dose-dependent manner in ovariectomized (OVX) ICR mice, but did not increase uterine weight wet or vaginal cornification, due possibly to AhR-mediated antiestrogenic activity. In OVX DBA/2 mice, a strain less responsive to AhR ligands, creosote induced liver EROD to a lesser extent, but still did not show an increase in uterine wet weight or vaginal cornification. These results demonstrate that coal-tar creosote exhibits AhR- and ER-mediated activity in vitro, but its dioxinlike activity may suppress estrogenic responses in vivo.

Research Organization:
Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (US)
OSTI ID:
20067666
Journal Information:
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Journal Name: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 19; ISSN ETOCDK; ISSN 0730-7268
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Assessment of the alleged estrogen receptor-mediated activity of phthalate esters
Conference · Sat Dec 30 23:00:00 EST 1995 · OSTI ID:460508

A novel carborane analog, BE360, with a carbon-containing polyhedral boron-cluster is a new selective estrogen receptor modulator for bone
Journal Article · Thu Mar 05 23:00:00 EST 2009 · Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications · OSTI ID:21255911

Antiestrogenic and immunotoxic effects of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans: Mechanistic studies
Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1991 · OSTI ID:5409661