THURSDAY NOVEMBER 21 - 4 PM
IMKE BOONEN
AMGC, VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL
ABSTRACT: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are a complex group of organic compounds, consisting of at least two fused aromatic rings, which are formed during combustion of organic matter. Many PAHs have been reported to have carcinogenic and/or mutagenic properties, but another possible negative health impact is their endocrine disrupting potential. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can interfere with our hormonal system by binding to endocrine receptors, resulting in adverse health effects such as reproductive damage, developmental impairment, obesity, diabetes and hormonal cancers. Therefore, both the agonistic and antagonistic endocrine activity of 9 environmentally relevant PAHs was determined using three different CALUX bioassays: The DRE-CALUX, The ERE-CALUX and PPARĪ³ CALUX. Results showed that PAHs can have multi modes of action and can bind to several receptors since certain PAHs showed an activity, albeit weak, on all three tested receptors.
BIO: Imke Boonen is a doctoral researcher as part of the Analytical, Environmental and Geo-Chemistry research group at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel with strong inter-university collaborations to KU Leuven and UA. Her Ph.D. thesis is focused on the release of Bisphenol A and other endocrine-disruptive compounds from resin-based dental composites that have seen increasing use as substitute for amalgam over the past 25 years.