1. Endocrine disruption in thicklip grey mullet (Chelon labrosus) from the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve (Bay of Biscay, Southwestern Europe)
- Author
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Pilar Aragón, Carmen Domínguez, Denise Fernandes, Cinta Porte, Julia Atienza, Miren P. Cajaraville, Eunate Puy-Azurmendi, Marta Villagrasa, Ángel Maquieira, Josep M. Bayona, Damià Barceló, Maren Ortiz-Zarragoitia, Marina Kuster, Rosa Puchades, and Miren López de Alda
- Subjects
Male ,endocrine system ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Geologic Sediments ,Environmental Engineering ,Gonad ,Transcription, Genetic ,Disorders of Sex Development ,Estrogen receptor ,Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ,Vitellogenin ,Endocrine Disruptors ,Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ,Vitellogenins ,Expression of aromatase and nuclear receptors ,Internal medicine ,QUIMICA ANALITICA ,medicine ,Environmental Chemistry ,Endocrine system ,Animals ,RNA, Messenger ,Waste Management and Disposal ,DNA Primers ,Endocrine disruptors in sediments and fish bile ,biology ,Base Sequence ,Chelon ,Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve ,Thicklip grey mullet Chelon labrosus ,biology.organism_classification ,Pollution ,Smegmamorpha ,Europe ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Endocrinology ,Endocrine disruptor ,biology.protein ,Female ,Intersex gonad ,Thicklip grey mullet ,Estuaries ,Water Pollutants, Chemical ,Hormone - Abstract
Endocrine disruptors (EDs) interfere with the development and functioning of the endocrine system, causing reproductive disturbance in aquatic wildlife. The aim of the present work was to determine the presence of EDs in sediments and to investigate possible exposure and effects of EDs in the estuary of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve (Gernika) in comparison with the Arriluze marina. For this, gonad histology, plasma vitellogenin (VTG) protein levels and mRNA levels of vitellogenin (vtg), cyp19 aromatases, estrogen receptor (er) and retinoid X receptor (rxr) were studied in Chelon labrosus. The presence of alkylphenols (APs) in fish bile was also assessed. In sediments, estrogenic hormones were below the detection limit and levels of bisphenol A were very low. In Gernika organotin compounds were low but in Arriluze levels of up to 12 μg/g were found. Moderate levels of APs and phthalate levels of up to 8 μg/g were found in sediments. In fish, a high prevalence up to 33% of intersex gonads was found in Gernika, whereas only one intersex was found in Arriluze. Accordingly, mullets from Gernika showed higher concentrations of APs in bile. VTG protein levels were detected not only in females but also in some undifferentiated, male and intersex fish. mRNA of vtg was detected in one male from Gernika. mRNA of er and rxr showed significant differences between seasons. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that C. labrosus from the Urdaibai estuary were exposed to EDs and showed clear signs of endocrine disruption., This work was supported by Catedra UNESCO of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) through the project DERBiUr (UNESCO06/19), by the University of the Basque Country through a grant to the Unit of Formation and Research (UFI 11/37), by the Basque Government through the project ETORTEK-IMPRES and a grant to consolidated research groups (GIC07/26-IT-393-07), and by MICINN through the projects CEMAGUA (CGL2007-64551/HID) and SCARCE (Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065). Denise Fernandes acknowledges a postdoctoral fellowship (SFRH/BPD/34289/2006) from the Portuguese Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) of the Ministry of Science and Technology of Portugal. The help of Drs. T. Serrano and M.C. Barbero with the examination of gonad preparations is greatly acknowledged.
- Published
- 2013