Effects of PCB mixtures on recognized targets of endocrine disrupters exposure: search for early biomarkers

Abstract

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are Endocrine Disrupters (EDs) relevant to human dietary exposure. Since liver is the main organ involved in metabolism, a human hepatoblastoma cell line (HuH6) was used as in vitro model. A panel of nuclear receptors (NRs) was selected as early markers of PCBs exposure and analysed by qPCR. PCB congeners, grouped in three mixtures according to similarities in the modes of action, were used at the concentrations derived from previous data on human internal exposure. Preliminary results indicated that PCB mixtures exert different NRs modulations in HuH6.