Triclocarban
Encyclopedia
Triclocarban or 3,4,4'-trichlorocarbanilide, is a substance with anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties that is used in disinfectants, soap
s and other household products.
The mechanism of action
involves disruption of cellular membranes, and the chemical may also involve inhibition
of the enzyme enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase
(ENR). This enzyme is absent in humans but is essential in building cell membrane
s of many bacteria and fungi.
Researchers at UC Davis have reported that Triclocarban can act as an endocrine disruptor. While TCC shows little or no endocrine activity by itself, it was found to enhance the biological activity of the endogenous hormone testosterone
by in vitro
cell-based bioassay as well as in vivo
in a male rat model. Testosterone normally mediates transcriptional activity in sexual reproductive organs, but TCC appears to significantly amplify this activity. Ten day oral exposure to TCC caused a substantial increase in the weight of accessory sexual organs such as the prostate
. This raises some concerns due to the 45 years it has been used in personal care products and the current surge in popularity of its use in anti-bacterial products. The authors commented in a UC Davis press release:
Soap
In chemistry, soap is a salt of a fatty acid.IUPAC. "" Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. . Compiled by A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford . XML on-line corrected version: created by M. Nic, J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN...
s and other household products.
The mechanism of action
Mechanism of action
In pharmacology, the term mechanism of action refers to the specific biochemical interaction through which a drug substance produces its pharmacological effect...
involves disruption of cellular membranes, and the chemical may also involve inhibition
Enzyme inhibitor
An enzyme inhibitor is a molecule that binds to enzymes and decreases their activity. Since blocking an enzyme's activity can kill a pathogen or correct a metabolic imbalance, many drugs are enzyme inhibitors. They are also used as herbicides and pesticides...
of the enzyme enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase
Enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase
Enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase , is a key enzyme of the type II fatty acid synthesis system. ENR is an attractive target for narrow-spectrum antibacterial drug discovery because of its essential role in metabolism and its sequence conservation across many bacterial species...
(ENR). This enzyme is absent in humans but is essential in building cell membrane
Cell membrane
The cell membrane or plasma membrane is a biological membrane that separates the interior of all cells from the outside environment. The cell membrane is selectively permeable to ions and organic molecules and controls the movement of substances in and out of cells. It basically protects the cell...
s of many bacteria and fungi.
Researchers at UC Davis have reported that Triclocarban can act as an endocrine disruptor. While TCC shows little or no endocrine activity by itself, it was found to enhance the biological activity of the endogenous hormone testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
by in vitro
In vitro
In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...
cell-based bioassay as well as in vivo
In vivo
In vivo is experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...
in a male rat model. Testosterone normally mediates transcriptional activity in sexual reproductive organs, but TCC appears to significantly amplify this activity. Ten day oral exposure to TCC caused a substantial increase in the weight of accessory sexual organs such as the prostate
Prostate
The prostate is a compound tubuloalveolar exocrine gland of the male reproductive system in most mammals....
. This raises some concerns due to the 45 years it has been used in personal care products and the current surge in popularity of its use in anti-bacterial products. The authors commented in a UC Davis press release:
"The researchers found two key effects: In human cells in the laboratory, triclocarban increased gene expression that is normally regulated by testosterone. And when male rats were fed triclocarban, testosterone-dependent organs such as the prostate gland grew abnormally large... Also, the authors said their discovery that triclocarban increased hormone effects was new. All previous studies of endocrine disruptors had found that they generally act by blocking or decreasing hormone effects."