Effect of pesticides on estrogen receptor transactivation in vitro: a comparison of stable transfected MVLN and transient transfected MCF-7 cells.

The estrogenic potential of four pesticides (endosulfan, prochloraz, tolchlofos-methyl and propamocarb) was compared in parallel with 17beta-estradiol (E2) by reporter constructs in transient transfected MCF-7BUS and in stable transfected MVLN cells. Similar detection limit and half maximum effect concentration was determined for E2, whereas the maximum effect concentration of E2 was much higher in MCF-7BUS (10 nM) than in MVLN (150 pM), with the induced response being approximately six times the level in MVLN cells. Alone the four pesticides elicited the same relative response in the two bioassays, and similar data was obtained upon co-exposure with E2 for endosulfan and propamocarb. In contrast to the transient MCF-7BUS system, endosulfan further increased the E2 induced response in MVLN cells, whereas propamocarb did not induce the E2 response in MVLN cells as observed in MCF-7BUS cells. In conclusion, high agreement between the two reporter assays was observed, although some performance characteristics have to be considered.