Estrogenicity Of Personal Care Products As Measured In A Yeast Estrogen Screen

Lauren Yam

School Name

Governor's School for Science and Math

Grade Level

12th Grade

Presentation Topic

Environmental Science

Presentation Type

Mentored

Mentor

Mentor: Dr. Roark; Department of Biology, Furman University

Oral Presentation Award

1st Place

Written Paper Award

1st Place

Abstract

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that have the potential to interfere with hormone pathways in the body. Estradiol is a naturally occurring hormone that interacts with nuclear estrogen receptors. Multiple endocrine disruptors can also bind to estrogen receptors and elicit estrogenic effects. The yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, serves as a model to measure the estrogenicity of these endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Recombinant yeast that expresses human estrogen receptor genes, and a reporter gene, LacZ, turns yellow when exposed to estrogenic chemicals. The yellowness of the yeast, quantified using a spectrophotometer, corresponds to the estrogenicity of the chemicals tested. Some common estrogenic chemicals and endocrine disruptors, like bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, and parabens, are often found in personal care products. The purpose of this study was to expose recombinant yeast to these personal care products in order to determine how estrogenic the products are by measuring the yellowness of the yeast. The estrogenicities of each personal care product tested are reported as estradiol equivalents as predicted from estradiol dilution curves and LacZ values that were analyzed in JMP software. Implications of long-term use of these estrogenic products are discussed as potential dangers in terms of consumer health.

Location

Owens 208

Start Date

4-16-2016 9:30 AM

COinS
 
Apr 16th, 9:30 AM

Estrogenicity Of Personal Care Products As Measured In A Yeast Estrogen Screen

Owens 208

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that have the potential to interfere with hormone pathways in the body. Estradiol is a naturally occurring hormone that interacts with nuclear estrogen receptors. Multiple endocrine disruptors can also bind to estrogen receptors and elicit estrogenic effects. The yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, serves as a model to measure the estrogenicity of these endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Recombinant yeast that expresses human estrogen receptor genes, and a reporter gene, LacZ, turns yellow when exposed to estrogenic chemicals. The yellowness of the yeast, quantified using a spectrophotometer, corresponds to the estrogenicity of the chemicals tested. Some common estrogenic chemicals and endocrine disruptors, like bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, and parabens, are often found in personal care products. The purpose of this study was to expose recombinant yeast to these personal care products in order to determine how estrogenic the products are by measuring the yellowness of the yeast. The estrogenicities of each personal care product tested are reported as estradiol equivalents as predicted from estradiol dilution curves and LacZ values that were analyzed in JMP software. Implications of long-term use of these estrogenic products are discussed as potential dangers in terms of consumer health.