Butylated hydroxyanisole and blood vessel cell damage in lab tests
What it found
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) damaged human and mouse blood vessel cells in lab dishes and stiffened blood vessels in animals.
A drug that blocks a type of cell death reversed some of the harm.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Cell survival reduced
BHA lowered the survival of human and mouse blood vessel cells in lab dishes. Higher doses and longer exposure caused more harm.
Cell movement slowed
In lab tests, BHA stopped blood vessel cells from moving and multiplying normally.
Iron-related cell death
BHA raised iron and malonaldehyde levels in the cells. A drug that blocks ferroptosis, a type of cell death, reversed these increases.
Protein changes reversed
BHA changed several proteins linked to cell protection in lab tests. Removing a protein called TFEB reversed those changes.
Stiffer blood vessels
In living animals, BHA raised pulse wave velocity, a sign of stiffer blood vessels. It also reduced how well blood vessels relaxed.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that BHA damages blood vessel cells by triggering a specific breakdown pathway inside cells.
- Their results show this process promotes a form of cell death called ferroptosis, leading to blood vessel injury.
How it was done
BHA is a common antioxidant added to food, but scientists have not clearly studied whether it harms blood vessels.
Researchers exposed human umbilical vein cells and mouse brain blood vessel cells to BHA at different doses and times. They also tested BHA in living animals to measure changes in blood vessel stiffness and relaxation.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These experiments used cells in dishes and animals.
- They cannot show what happens in people who eat foods containing BHA.
- Lab dish results do not always match real-life effects from eating small amounts over time.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
- Authors work at
- Department of Cardiology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, China
The paper
- Title
- Butylated hydroxyanisole induces vascular endothelial injury via TFEB-mediated degradation of GPX4 and FTH1
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Zhan Y, Zhang Y (2024). Butylated hydroxyanisole induces vascular endothelial injury via TFEB-mediated degradation of GPX4 and FTH1. Food and chemical toxicology. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2024.114682PubMed 38657941DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error