Effect of Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals in human placenta

Introduction: Endocrine disrupter chemicals (EDCs) are environmental pollutants of agricultural or industrial origin which may influence human reproductive health. By mimicking and/or antagonizing steroid hormones, these substances produce deleterious effects on reproduction and embryonic development. In this study we evaluated the effect of EDCs with estrogen-like activity including, para-nonylphenol (p-NP), Bisphenol A (BPA), Diethylstilbestrol (DES) and Resveratrol (RSV) for in vitro studies on human placenta. Material and Methods: BeWo cell cultures were used to identify chemical lethal concentration able to reduce 50% of cell viability (LC50). Primary cultures of chorionic villous explants from first trimester human placenta were used to perform functional studies of EDCs at non-toxic but environmentally relevant concentrations. Vehicle-treated cultures were used as negative controls. Results: Experiments in BeWo cells showed an LC50 ranging from 4.56 x 10-5 M to 1.72 x 10-4 M with DES the most and RSV the less active. Lower non-toxic concentrations were able to interfere with hormone (β-human chorionic gonadotropin, β-hCG) secretion. Explant cultures revealed that concentrations of 10-9 M for p-NP, BPA and DES and 10-6 M for RSV exerted a differentiative effect on trophoblast and cellular apoptosis by increasing β-hCG secretion and caspase-3 activity. Conclusions: These results raise concern about maternal exposure to these chemicals during pregnancy and suggest a possible involvement of environmental factors in pregnancy complications.