Health safety of parabens evaluated by selected in vitro methods.

Seven selected parabens (4 allowed, 3 banned in cosmetics) were tested in order to confirm and expand historical data on their toxicological properties and safety. The aim was to apply novel in vitro methods, which have been sufficiently technically and scientifically validated for the purposes of toxicological testing of chemicals. The study included several toxicological endpoints such as skin/eye irritation, skin sensitization, endocrine disruption and genotoxicity.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Endocrine Disruption: Role of Testicular Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication and Connexins.

Ambient air pollution and smoking are well-documented risk factors for male infertility. Prevalent air pollutants and cigarette smoke components, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are environmental and occupational toxicants that act as chemicals disrupting endocrine regulation and reproductive potential in males. Testicular gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) is critical for normal development and function of testicular tissue, thus we assessed GJIC as a process potentially targeted by PAHs in testes.

The effects of PAHs and N-PAHs on retinoid signaling and Oct-4 expression in vitro.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their N-heterocyclic analogs (N-PAHs) are important environmental contaminants with negative effects in living organisms, including teratogenicity and embryotoxicity. Though most studies linked their embryotoxicity with aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and cytochrome P450 activation, the exact mechanism is not known. Other mechanisms such as disruption of retinoid signaling were recently suggested to be of importance.