Cocktail Effect of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: Application to Chlorpyrifos in Lavender Essential Oils

Abstract

Chlorpyrifos is a pesticide that is toxic to human health and has been banned for the past decade. Due to its persistent and bioaccumulative properties, chlorpyrifos is still present in soil. Pregnant women can be exposed to chlorpyrifos through drinking water and herbal products, such as essential oils (EOs), resulting in adverse effects to the mother and fetus. Our objective was to evaluate and compare the potential endocrine disrupting effects of chlorpyrifos “free” or in contaminated lavender EO. We studied the release of four hormones and the activation of the P2X7 cell death receptor in human placental JEG-Tox cells as key biomarkers of endocrine toxicity for pregnant women (hPlacentox assay). We observed that “free” chlorpyrifos disrupted placental hormones and activated the P2X7 receptor, whereas chlorpyrifos in lavender EO disrupted only the placental hormones. We confirm that chlorpyrifos can be classified as an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) for pregnant women and point out that its endocrine disrupting effect may not be apparent when present in lavender EOs. Our results reveal the existence of specific reverse cocktail effects that may have protective properties against EDCs.

Advancing Endocrine Disruptors via In Vitro Evaluation: Recognizing the Significance of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development and United States Environmental Protection Agency Guidelines, Embracing New Assessment Methods, and the Urgent Need for a Comprehensive Battery of Tests

“…The h-Placentox test is based on the activation of the P2X7 receptor as an in vitro marker of adverse health effects and the dosage of hormones. It has been used to evaluate forskolin, a diterpene from a plant used in food supplements for weight loss [ 60 ], essential oils [ 61 ], and chlorpyrifos, a persistent and bioaccumulative worldwide banned pesticide [ 62 ].…”