Oestrogenic and androgenic activity of oxybenzone and methylparaben in vitro

Abstract

Motivated by emerging concerns about health hazards associated with various industrial chemicals, this study investigated the disruption of endocrine system using well established in vitro assays. Due to the lack of scientific data on adverse effects of chemicals used in personal care products (PCPs), the focus was placed on oestrogenic and androgenic action of photostabiliser oxybenzone and preservative methylparaben. To this end we relied on in vitro assays for oestrogen and androgen receptor activation based on HeLa-9903 and AR-EcoScreen GR KO M1 cell lines to determine dose response according to respective OECD Test Guidelines 455 and 458. Our findings clearly demonstrate that both chemicals act as oestrogen receptor agonists and androgen receptor antagonists, raising additional concerns about health risks for humans posed by excessive and widespread use of such chemicals in PCPs.