The DOI matches its Crossref record; 31 of the 31 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Some Alkyl Hydroxy Benzoate Preservatives (Parabens) Are Estrogenic
Abstract
The inadvertent estrogenicity of certain synthetic chemicals, and their subsequent effects on the endocrine system of humans and wildlife, is of concern. In this paper we report findings from in vitro and in vivo (uterotrophic) studies which confirm that a range of alkyl hydroxy benzoate preservatives (parabens) are weakly estrogenic. In a receptor-binding assay, butylparaben was able to compete with 3H-estradiol for binding to the rat estrogen receptor with an affinity approximately 5 orders of magnitude lower than that of diethylstilboestrol, and between 1 and 2 orders of magnitude less than nonylphenol. In an in vitro yeast-based estrogen assay, the four most widely used parabens (namely methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, and butylparaben) were all found to be weakly estrogenic with the most potent (butylparaben) being 10,000-fold less potent than 17 beta-estradiol. The estrogenic activity of parabens was inhibited by 4-hydroxy tamoxifen in vitro, illustrating the requirement of these chemicals to interact with the estrogen receptor in order to activate the yeast. When administered orally to immature rats, the parabens were inactive. However, subcutaneous administration of butylparaben produced a positive uterotrophic response in vivo, although it was approximately 100,000 times less potent than 17 beta-estradiol. Given their use in a wide range of commercially available topical preparations, it is suggested that the safety in use of these chemicals should be reassessed, with parti…
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Parabens bind human estrogen receptors with affinities 10,000 to 1,000,000 times less than estradiol1112”
From Knowledge and Behavior Regarding Cosmetics in Koreans Visiting Dermatology Clinics (2017) · cites this paper as [11]
Citations
Cites
Cloning of a novel receptor expressed in rat prostate and ovary.
Kuiper, G. G. J. M., Enmark, E., Pelto‐Huikko, M., Nilsson, S., & Gustafsson, J.-Α. (1996) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.93.12.5925 · Cited by 4,802
Evidence for decreasing quality of semen during past 50 years.
Carlsen, E., Giwercman, A., Keiding, N., & Skakkebæk, N. E. (1992) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.305.6854.609 · Cited by 2,768
Transformations Related to the Angular and the Square Root
Freeman, M. F., & Tukey, J. W. (1950) · The Annals of Mathematical Statistics · doi:10.1214/aoms/1177729756 · Cited by 2,665
Routledge, E. J., & Sumpter, J. P. (1996) · Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry · doi:10.1002/etc.5620150303 · Cited by 1,522
Self-citationDecline in Semen Quality among Fertile Men in Paris during the Past 20 Years
Auger, J., Kunstmann, J. M., Czyglik, F., & Jouannet, P. (1995) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejm199502023320501 · Cited by 1,131
p-Nonyl-Phenol: An Estrogenic Xenobiotic Released from "Modified" Polystyrene
Soto, A. M., Justicia, H., Wray, J. W., & Sonnenschein, C. (1991) · Environmental Health Perspectives · doi:10.1289/ehp.9192167 · Cited by 1,083
A role for oestrogens in the male reproductive system
Hess, R. A., Bunick, D., Lee, K., Bahr, J. M., Taylor, J. A., Korach, K. S., & Lubahn, D. B. (1997) · Nature · doi:10.1038/37352 · Cited by 894
Sharpe, R. M., Fisher, J. S., Millar, M., Jobling, S., & Sumpter, J. P. (1995) · Environmental Health Perspectives · doi:10.1289/ehp.951031136 · Cited by 493
Self-citationStructural Features of Alkylphenolic Chemicals Associated with Estrogenic Activity
Routledge, E. J., & Sumpter, J. P. (1997) · Journal of Biological Chemistry · doi:10.1074/jbc.272.6.3280 · Cited by 493
Self-citationShelby, M. D., Newbold, R. R., Tully, D. Β., Chae, K., & Davis, V. L. (1996) · Environmental Health Perspectives · doi:10.1289/ehp.961041296 · Cited by 444
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- Maddox, 1982, The role of p-hydroxy-benzoates in modern cosmetics, Cosm. Toilet., 97, 85
- Sherma, 1982, Determination of paraben preservatives in liquid products, Am. Lab., 14, 26
- Twist, 1986, Influence of solvents on paraben permeation through idealised skin model membranes, J. Soc. Cosmet. Chem., 37, 429
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Environment: Agents of Subtle Change?
Daughton, C. G., & Ternes, T. A. (1999) · Environmental Health Perspectives · doi:10.1289/ehp.99107s6907 · Cited by 4,703
A review of the effects of emerging contaminants in wastewater and options for their removal
Bolong, N., Ismail, A. F., Salim, M. R., & Matsuura, T. (2009) · Desalination · doi:10.1016/j.desal.2008.03.020 · Cited by 1,322
Brausch, J. M., & Rand, G. M. (2010) · Chemosphere · doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.11.018 · Cited by 1,093
Safety assessment of esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (parabens)
Soni, M. G., Carabin, I. G., & Burdock, G. A. (2005) · Food and Chemical Toxicology · doi:10.1016/j.fct.2005.01.020 · Cited by 1,012
Occurrence and fate of emerging contaminants in water environment: A review
Gogoi, A., Mazumder, P., Tyagi, V. K., Chaminda, T., An, A. K., & Kumar, M. (2018) · Groundwater for Sustainable Development · doi:10.1016/j.gsd.2017.12.009 · Cited by 851
Metadata
- Authors
- Routledge, E. J., Parker, J., Odum, J., Ashby, J., & Sumpter, J. P.
- Affiliations
- Brunel University of London (GB)
- Zeneca Central Toxicology Laboratory (GB)
- Venue
- Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1998-11
- Volume
- 153
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 12-19
- ISSN
- 0041-008X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1999057925
- Cited by
- 721
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 50 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 45 · 2017: 42 · 2016: 37 · 2015: 40 · 2014: 36 · 2013: 50 · 2012: 33
- FWCI
- 10.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Endocrinology › Estrogen and related hormone effects
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Phytoestrogen effects and research
- Keywords
- parabens, estrogenic activity, butylparaben, estrogen receptor binding, uterotrophic response, endocrine disruption, human exposure assessment
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Binding, Competitive, Female, Food Preservatives, Organ Size, Parabens, Receptors, Estrogen, Tamoxifen, Uterus, Yeasts, Rats
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
