Indiscriminate use of synthetic substances has led to environmental contamination and increasing human and animal exposure to harmful chemicals. Polybrominated flame retardants (PBDEs), which serve as non-covalent additives that enhance the safety of a variety of commercial and consumer goods, are an important class among potentially damaging synthetic substances. Its use is very common in developing countries, including Brazil. In theory, 209 different PBDE congeners exist, and many are currently being used during the manufacture of several products. Unfortunately, PBDEs are easily released from the original products, promptly reaching the environment. Knowledge about the toxicological power of these substances is still limited, which has prevented environmental and regulatory authorities from conducting adequate risk assessments. This research addresses the genotoxic and mutagenic potential of PBDEs. The effects of HepG2 cells and Salmonella typhimurium exposure to six main representatives of PBDEs, namely tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), pentabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-99 and BDE-100), hexabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-153 and BDE-154) and decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209), were evaluated. The comet assay revealed that all the assessed BDEs exerted genotoxic effects but induced no micronuclei formation in HepG2 cells. These BDEs had no significant mutagenic effects on the Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100. Taken together, the results of the genomic instability assays showed that PBDEs can represent a risk to the health of directly and indirectly exposed population, because the assessed BDEs induce genotoxic effects in the HepG2 cell line.
© 2016 Nordic Association for the Publication of BCPT (former Nordic Pharmacological Society).