Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES
Volume 115, Issue 5, Pages 671-678Publisher
US DEPT HEALTH HUMAN SCIENCES PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1289/ehp.9666
Keywords
androgen; antiandrogen; bulbocavernosus; Cowper's glands; DDE; endocrine disruption; Finasteride; glans penis; Hershberger; levator ani; seminal vesicles; linuron; methyl testosterone; procymidone; trenbolone; validation; ventral prostate; vinclozolin
Ask authors/readers for more resources
OBJECTIVE: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has completed phase 2 of an international program to validate the rodent Hershberger bioassay. DESIGN: The Hershberger bioassay is designed to identify suspected androgens and antiandringens based on changes in the weights of five androgen-responsive tissues (ventral prostate, paired seminal vesicles and coagulating glands, the levator ani and bulbocavernosus muscles, the glans penis, and paired Cowper's or bulbourethral glands). Protocol sensitivity and reproducibility were tested using two androgen agonists (17 alpha-methyl testosterone and 17 beta-trenbolone), four antagonists [procymidone, vinclozolin, linuron, and 1,1-dichoro-2,2-bis-[(rho-chlorophenyl)ethylene (rho rho'-DDE)], and a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor (finasteride). Sixteen laboratories from seven countries participated in phase 2. RESULTS: In 40 of 41 studies, the laboratories successfully detected substance-related weight changes in one or more tissues. The one exception was with the weakest antiandrogen, linuron, in a laboratory with reduced sensitivity because of high coefficients of variation in all tissue weights. The protocols performed well under different experimental conditions (e.g., strain, diet, housing protocol, bedding, vehicle). There was good agreement and reproducibility among laboratories with regard to the lowest dose inducing significant effects on tissue weights. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that the OECD Hershberger bioassay protocol is reproducible anal transferable across laboratories with androgen agonists, weak androgen antagonists, and a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor. The next validation phase will employ coded test substances, including positive substances and negative substances having no androgenic or antiandrogenic activity.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available