The estrogenic and androgenic potential of pyrethroids in vitro. Review.

Synthetic pyrethroids are used worldwide as insecticides. Their metabolites have been constantly measured in the urine of adults and children from the general population. There is increasing concern that they may induce sex-hormone disrupting effects. The present work reviews available published information about the (anti)estrogenic and (anti)androgenic activity of pyrethroids in in vitro screening tests.
A large number of pyrethroids have been evaluated using various common testing methods. They were essentially negative or weakly estrogenic in tests using recombinant yeast or mammalian cells. More inconsistent results were found regarding their estrogenic action in proliferation tests. Conflicting findings were reported across studies and/or assays evaluating their anti-estrogenic or anti-androgenic potential. A few suggested that some pyrethroids may have potential antagonist activities. However, no strong interaction with the estrogenic or androgenic pathway was reported. This review confirms the interest of a screening battery and an integrative approach for identifying the potential of compounds from a chemical family to interfere with the endocrine system.