Rat α‑Fetoprotein Binding Affinities of a Large Set of Structurally Diverse Chemicals Elucidated the Relationships between Structures and Binding Affinities

Endocrine disrupting chemicals interfere with the endocrine system in animals, including humans, to exert adverse effects. One of the mechanisms of endocrine disruption is through the binding of receptors such as the estrogen receptor (ER) in target cells. The concentration of any chemical in serum is important for its entry into the target cells to bind the receptors. α-Fetoprotein (AFP) is a major transport protein in rodent serum that can bind with estrogens and thus change a chemical’s availability for entrance into the target cell. Sequestration of an estrogen in the serum can alter the chemical’s potential for disrupting estrogen receptor-mediated responses. To better understand endocrine disruption, we developed a competitive binding assay using rat amniotic fluid, which contains very high levels of AFP, and measured the binding to the rat AFP for 125 structurally diverse chemicals, most of which are known to bind ER. Fifty-three chemicals were able to bind the rat AFP in the assay, while 72 chemicals were determined to be nonbinders. Observations from closely examining the relationship between the binding data and structures of the tested chemicals are rationally explained in a manner consistent with proposed binding regions of rat AFP in the literature. The data reported here represent the largest data set of structurally diverse chemicals tested for rat AFP binding. The data assist in elucidating binding interactions and mechanisms between chemicals and rat AFP and, in turn, assist in the evaluation of the endocrine disrupting potential of chemicals.