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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Toxicol.
Sec. Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/ftox.2024.1380485

Developmental Toxicity and Estrogenic Activity of Antimicrobial Phenolic-Branched Fatty Acids Using In silico simulation and In vivo and In vitro Bioassays

Provisionally accepted
Xinwen Zhang Xinwen Zhang 1,2Helen Ngo Helen Ngo 3*Karen Wagner Karen Wagner 3*Xuetong Fan Xuetong Fan 3*Changqing Wu Changqing Wu 2*
  • 1 University of Delaware, Newark, United States
  • 2 Department of Animal and Food Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, United States
  • 3 Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service (USDA), Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Due to the growing safety and environmental concerns associated with biocides, phenolic-soy branched chain fatty acids (phenolic-soy BCFAs) are synthesized as new bio-based antimicrobial agents. Safety evaluation is essential before the wide adoption of these new antimicrobial products. This study was initiated to evaluate the safety of four phenolic-soy BCFAs (with phenol, thymol, carvacrol, or creosote branches). Methyl-branched iso-oleic acid, phenol, and creosote were included in the study as controls. An in silico toxicity simulation predicted that the phenolic BCFAs had much higher toxicities to aquatic organisms than free phenolics did, while the opposite was predicted for rats. The developmental toxicity of four phenolic-soy BCFAs was assessed using an in vivo chicken embryonic assay. Results showed that creosote-soy BCFA had much lower mortality rates than creosote at the same dosages. Additionally, creosote-soy BCFA and methyl-branched iso-oleic acid induced minimal estrogenic activity in the concentration range of 10 nM -1 µM. Carvacrol-soy BCFA treatments significantly increased (p < 0.05) oxidative stress levels with higher thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in the livers of chicken embryos. Altogether, the phenolic-soy BCFAs, especially creosote-soy BCFA, reported in this study are potentially promising and safer bio-based antimicrobial products.

    Keywords: phenolics, Fatty Acids, developmental toxicity, chicken embryo, Estrogenic activity

    Received: 01 Feb 2024; Accepted: 20 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Ngo, Wagner, Fan and Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Helen Ngo, Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service (USDA), Wyndmoor, 19038, Pennsylvania, United States
    Karen Wagner, Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service (USDA), Wyndmoor, 19038, Pennsylvania, United States
    Xuetong Fan, Eastern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service (USDA), Wyndmoor, 19038, Pennsylvania, United States
    Changqing Wu, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Delaware, Newark, 19716, Delaware, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.