Cytotoxicity evaluation and mechanism of endocrine-disrupting chemicals by the embryoid body test.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are a structurally diverse class of synthetic and natural compounds. EDCs can cause non-communicable diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, thyroid disorders, neurodevelopmental disease, hormone-dependent cancers, and reproductive disorders. The embryoid body test (EBT) is a developmental toxicity test method that determines the size of embryoid bodies (EBs) and the viability of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) and fibroblasts (3T3 cells). The present study used the EBT to perform cytotoxicity evaluations of 10 EDCs and assessed the mechanistic relationship between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and cytotoxicity. According to the statistical analysis and prediction model results, methylparaben, butylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, triclosan, octylphenol, methoxychlor, bisphenol A, and diethylstilbestrol were classified as cytotoxic, but trichloroacetic acid was non-toxic. Classification accuracy was 90%. The mechanistic study showed that the cytotoxicities of butylparaben, propylparaben, octylphenol, and triclosan were induced by ER stress. The mRNA expressions of BiP, CHOP, and ATF4 were significantly higher following treatments with four EDCs compared to those after the control treatment. Compared to the control treatment, the mRNA levels of XBP1u and XBP1s increased significantly after butylparaben and propylparaben treatments, but did not increase with octylphenol and triclosan treatments. These results indicate that the EBT can be applied as an alternative toxicity test when evaluating the cytotoxicity of EDCs.