BDE-209, the main constituent of DecaBDE, is primarily forming debrominated diphenyl ethers with higher persistence which are more bioaccumulative than the starting material when subjected to UV light. Hence, DecaBDE should be considered as a source of these PBDE congeners in the environment.

No abstract

No abstract

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are additive brominated flame retardants (BFRs), which have become widespread pollutants in abiotic and biotic environments including man. Tetra- to hexaBDEs and decaBDE are the most common environmental PBDE contaminants. Congeners of octabromodiphenyl ethers (octaBDEs) originate from used industrial OctaBDE mixtures and from transformation products of the high-volume industrial BFR mixture "DecaBDE", which most exclusively consists of perbrominated diphenyl ether (BDE-209). The objective of the present work was to develop methods for the synthesis of authentic octaBDE congeners in order to make them available as standards for analytical, toxicological, and stability studies, as well as studies concerning physical-chemical properties. The syntheses of six octaBDEs, 2,2',3,3',4,4',5,5'-octabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-194), 2,2',3,3',4,4',5,6'-octabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-196), 2,2',3,3',4,5,5',6-octabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-198), 2,2',3,3',4,5',6,6'-octabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-201), 2,2',3,3',5,5',6,6'-octabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-202), and 2,2',3,4,4',5,6,6'-octabromdipheny ether (BDE-204), are described, of which BDE-204 was prepared via two different pathways. Syntheses of BDE-198, BDE-201, BDE-202, and BDE-204 are based on octabromination of mono- or diaminodiphenyl ethers followed by diazotization and reduction of the amino group(s). BDE-194 and BDE-196 were prepared by bromination of 3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-169) and 2,3,3',4,4',5',6-heptabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-191), respectively, and BDE-169 and BDE-191 were prepared from 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl ether and 3,4'-diamiodiphenyl ether, respectively. The synthesized PBDE congeners are described by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, electron ionization mass spectra, and their melting points.

Tetradecabromo-1,4-diphenoxybenzene (TeDB-DiPhOBz) is a highly brominated additive flame retardant (FR). Debrominated photodegradates of TeDB-DiPhOBz are hydroxylated in vitro in liver microsomal assays based on herring gulls (Larus argentatus), including one metabolite identified as 4″-OH-2,2',2″,4-tetrabromo-DiPhOBz. Chemically related methoxylated tetra- to hexabromo-DiPhOBzs are known contaminants in herring gulls. Collectively, nothing is currently known about biological effects of these polybrominated (PB) DiPhOBz-based compounds. The present study investigated the potential thyroidogenicity of 2,2',2″,4-tetrabromo-(TB)-DiPhOBz along with its para-methoxy (MeO)- and hydroxy-(OH)-analogues, using an in vitro competitive protein binding assay with the human thyroid hormone (TH) transport proteins transthyretin (hTTR) and albumin (hALB). This model para-OH-TB-DiPhOBz was found to be capable of competing with thyroxine (T4) for the binding site on hTTR and hALB. In silico analyses were also conducted using a 3D homology model for gull TTR, to predict whether these TB-DiPhOBz-based compounds may also act as ligands for an avian TH transport protein despite evolutionary differences with hTTR. This analysis found all three TB-DiPhOBz analogues to be potential ligands for gull TTR and have similar binding efficacies to THs. Results indicate structure-related differences in binding affinities of these ligands and suggest there is potential for these contaminants to interact with both mammalian and avian thyroid function.

Tetradecabromo-1,4-diphenoxybenzene (TeDB-DiPhOBz) is used as a flame retardant chemical and has been hypothesized to be the precursor of methoxylated polybrominated diphenoxybenzene (MeO-PB-DiPhOBz) contaminants reported in herring gulls from sites across the Laurentian Great Lakes. Here, by irradiating the parent TeDB-DiPhOBz (solution 1) with natural sunlight or UV, we prepared three solutions where solution 2 was dominated by the Br8-11-PB-DiPhOBzs, along with Br5-8-PB-DiPhOBzs (solution 3) and Br4-6-PB-DiPhOBzs (solution 4). The in vitro metabolism of TeDB-DiPhOBz and PB-DiPhOBzs was investigated using harvested wild herring gull (Larus argentatus) and adult male Wister-Han rat liver microsomal assays. After a 90 min incubation period of solution 1 in gull or rat microsomal assays, there was no significant (p > 0.05) depletion of TeDB-DiPhOBz. OH-PB-DiPhOBz metabolites were detectable after gull and rat microsomal assay incubation with solutions 3 or 4, and showed clear species-specific differences. Also detected were two polybrominated hydroxylated metabolites having polybenzofuran structures. Overall, this study suggested that TeDB-DiPhOBz is slowly metabolized in vitro, and also indicated that if wild herring gulls are exposed (e.g., via the diet) to photolytic products of TeDB-DiPhOBz, OH-PB-DiPhOBz and other metabolites could be formed. OH-PH-DiPhOBz are likely precursors to MeO-PB-DiPhOBz contaminants that we reported previously in eggs of wild Great Lakes herring gulls.