ToxCast Database Update: A Key Asset for Endocrine Disruptor Assessment and CEHTRA’s Digital Tool
- Rim Kaidi
- Oct 22
- 3 min read
The identification of endocrine disruptors (EDs) has become a major public health and environmental concern worldwide. EDs are chemical substances capable of interfering with the hormonal system, leading to adverse effects on both humans and wildlife. Monitoring and assessing these substances is essential to protect human health, particularly among vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, children, and wild species.
To this end, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed ToxCast, a comprehensive database compiling in vitro biological activity data for hundreds of chemicals, enabling the analysis of their potential endocrine-disrupting effects.
What is the ToxCast Database?
ToxCast (short for Toxicity Forecaster) is a flagship EPA program designed to evaluate the toxicological potential of chemicals. Using a suite of high-throughput in vitro screening (HTS) assays, ToxCast examines the bioactivity of thousands of chemicals across multiple biological targets.
These in vitro assays measure biological responses, including hormonal activity, on specific receptors, enzymes, and cellular processes involved in endocrine regulation.
The main goal of ToxCast is to provide detailed data on chemical substances to predict their potential to interfere with biological systems, particularly endocrine systems in humans and animals. With data on more than 10,000 chemicals, ToxCast has become an invaluable resource for researchers and regulators seeking to identify endocrine disruptors.
One of the key advantages of ToxCast lies in its non-animal testing approach, reducing reliance on traditional animal studies. This aligns with the European Union’s “One Health” strategy, Directive 2010/63/EU, and the EU roadmap toward phasing out animal testing, by promoting the use of alternative methods such as in vitro assays and computational approaches in toxicity assessment.
What Does This Update Include?
The latest version of the ToxCast database, invitrodb v4.3, introduces several critical improvements, many of which directly enhance its usefulness in endocrine disruptor evaluation.
1. Enhanced Data Analysis
The updated ToxCast release introduces new analytical features that improve the accuracy and reliability of in vitro screening data interpretation. These enhancements allow researchers to better understand biological effects on hormone receptors and other key mechanisms underlying endocrine function.
Improved analytical tools now integrate additional parameters, making it easier to compare data across substances. For example, chemical effects on hormonal receptors can be assessed faster and more precisely, allowing for early detection of substances potentially disrupting endocrine pathways.
2. Updated Software Tools
The software tools used to process ToxCast data have also been upgraded. Widely used R packages, such as tcpl and tcplFit2, have been enhanced to provide improved data handling, smoother workflow management, and more advanced visualization capabilities.
The tcplFit2 package, for instance, now offers more accurate dose–response curve fitting, enabling more reliable estimation of effect concentrations. This is essential for assessing risks associated with low-dose exposures to EDs, which are frequently encountered in real-world environmental settings.
3. Expanded Chemical Coverage
The update also expands ToxCast’s chemical coverage, now encompassing over 10,000 evaluated substances. This broader dataset supports a more comprehensive toxicological assessment, including for lesser-known or emerging substances that may pose endocrine-related risks.
CEHTRA’s Digital Tool: Supporting ED Identification
One of the major advances in applying ToxCast data is CEHTRA’s digital tool, designed to facilitate rapid access and interpretation of information from the ToxCast database.
1. Instant Substance Check
Through a CAS number search, CEHTRA’s tool allows instant verification of a chemical’s regulatory status and its inclusion in lists of potential or confirmed endocrine disruptors. By entering a single CAS number, users can access detailed information about a substance’s status, potential toxicity, and regulatory evaluation history.
This feature represents a significant time-saver, offering quick and reliable access to critical regulatory and toxicological data.
2. Integrated ToxCast Data Analysis
Beyond regulatory status, the CEHTRA tool also enables direct analysis of ToxCast data for the queried substances. It streamlines the exploration of in vitro high-throughput screening results to assess bioactivity on endocrine-relevant biological targets.
In just a few clicks, users can visualize the full spectrum of a substance’s biological effects on hormone receptors, enzymes, and related cellular pathways.
By simplifying the use of complex datasets, CEHTRA’s tool empowers users to draw scientifically robust conclusions on endocrine activity, supporting both regulatory assessments and research efforts. This functionality is particularly valuable for ED studies, where data heterogeneity often poses analytical challenges.
Conclusion
The latest ToxCast database update marks a major step forward in the evaluation of endocrine disruptors. With expanded chemical coverage, improved analytical methods, and enhanced data management, this update provides a stronger foundation for assessing the potential hazards of chemical substances.
CEHTRA’s digital tool complements this progress by offering an intuitive platform to access and analyze ToxCast data efficiently. Together, these innovations enable faster, more reliable identification of endocrine-disrupting substances, strengthening the capacity of regulatory and industrial stakeholders to protect public health and the environment.
Need expert support for your endocrine disruptor assessments?
