Ecotoxicological evaluation of 4-aminobiphenyl using a test battery

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2004 May;58(1):104-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2003.09.001.

Abstract

Experimental bioassays are currently used in ecotoxicology and environmental toxicology to provide information for risk assessment evaluation of new chemicals and to investigate their effects and mechanisms of action; in addition, ecotoxicological models are used for the detection, control, and monitoring of the presence of pollutants in the environment. As a single bioassay will never provide a full picture of the quality of the environment, a representative, cost-effective, and quantitative test battery should be developed. In this study, the effects of 4-aminobiphenyl (4-ABP) were investigated using a battery of ecotoxicological model systems, including immobilization of Daphnia magna, development of zebrafish embryos, and inhibition of mammalian cell proliferation. The growth inhibition effects of 4-ABP were assessed on mouse connective tissue fibroblast cells (L929 cells) and human hepatocelluar carcinoma cells (HepG2 cells) by using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-trazolium bromide reduction assay. The results reveal that 4-aminobiphenyl is toxic for aquatic organisms and mammalian cells. The system most sensitive to 4-aminobiphenyl is D. magna immobilization, followed by development of zebrafish embryos, and inhibition of cell proliferation. L929 and HepG2 cell growth inhibition bioassays show low sensitivity. These findings indicate that a single model for the possible harmful effect of 4-ABP has its limitations; only a test battery, composed of bioassays on different species, can provide an accurate assessment of the action of 4-ABP in the whole environment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aminobiphenyl Compounds / toxicity*
  • Animals
  • Biological Assay / methods
  • Carcinogens / toxicity*
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / pathology
  • Cell Division / drug effects
  • Daphnia
  • Ecology
  • Embryonic Development
  • Fibroblasts / physiology
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology
  • Mice
  • Models, Theoretical*
  • Risk Assessment
  • Toxicity Tests / methods*
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • Zebrafish / embryology

Substances

  • Aminobiphenyl Compounds
  • Carcinogens
  • 4-biphenylamine