Oxidative stress and cytotoxicity induced by tetrachlorobisphenol A in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells

Tetrachlorobisphenol A (TCBPA), which is widely used as flame retardant, can be released into various environments, thereby being absorbed by wildlife or human beings through food chain's bio-magnification and causing some adverse influences on wildlife or human beings. However, limited data are currently available on TCBPA-associated cytotoxicity and related mechanisms. Here, the cytotoxicity induced by different concentrations of TCBPA (i.e., 5, 10 and 20 mu M) was studied using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a simple eukaryotic model organism. TCBPA treatment inhibited the growth and survival rate of yeast cell in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, TCBPA promoted the increasing of intracellular oxidative stress by enhancing accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Meanwhile, lipid peroxidation degree (represented by malondialdehyde (MDA) content) and DNA damage degree (represented by 8-hydroxy deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) content) in yeast cell also increased after TCBPA treatment. However, yeast cell mitochondrial membrane potential (Delta psi m) decreased after TCBPA treatment. It was noteworthy that there was no significant inhibitory effect on yeast cell growth or survival rate in 5 mu M TCBPA-treated cells, but the intracellular MDA content and Delta psi m level changed significantly, suggesting the potential cell damage secondary to the relative low dose of TCBPA exposure. Results presented here would highlight our knowledge about TCBPA-associated cytotoxicity in organisms.