The E-SCREEN assay as a tool to identify estrogens: an update on estrogenic environmental pollutants.

TLDR

Estrogens stimulate proliferation of female genital tract cells, but the wide chemical diversity of estrogenic compounds and the impracticality of rodent bioassays make predicting and screening estrogenicity challenging. The E‑SCREEN assay was developed to evaluate the estrogenicity of environmental chemicals by measuring estrogen‑induced proliferation of target cells. The assay quantifies cell proliferation by comparing MCF‑7 cell counts in negative controls, positive controls with 17β‑estradiol, and varying concentrations of test chemicals. Among the compounds tested, several displayed estrogenic activity.

Abstract

Estrogens are defined by their ability to induce the proliferation of cells of the female genital tract. The wide chemical diversity of estrogenic compounds precludes an accurate prediction of estrogenic activity on the basis of chemical structure. Rodent bioassays are not suited for the large-scale screening of chemicals before their release into the environment because of their cost, complexity, and ethical concerns. The E-SCREEN assay was developed to assess the estrogenicity of environmental chemicals using the proliferative effect of estrogens on their target cells as an end point. This quantitative assay compares the cell number achieved by similar inocula of MCF-7 cells in the absence of estrogens (negative control) and in the presence of 17 beta-estradiol (positive control) and a range of concentrations of chemicals suspected to be estrogenic. Among the compounds tested, several