Endocrine disruption in juvenile roach from English rivers: A preliminary study

Juvenile roach Rutilus rutilus from seven rivers of varying water quality were examined for evidence of endocrine disruption. The majority of roach from five of these rivers had femalelike reproductive ducts. The results suggest that juvenile, rather than adult, fish could be used in studies of endocrine disruption in wild fish populations

Inter-population variability in the reproductive morphology of the shore crab (Carcinus maenas): Evidence of endocrine disruption in a marine crustacean?

Environmental contaminants that are capable of causing endocrine disrupting effects are currently a major cause for concern. These chemicals are known to influence the reproductive development of vertebrates by mimicking or antagonising the actions of endogenous hormones. However, little is known regarding their potential effects on invertebrates. Here we examine variations in the reproductive morphology of the shore crab (Carcinus maenas) for evidence of endocrine disruption. Crabs were collected from a number of sites comprising a putative gradient of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals. Patterns of inter-population variability in the expression of sexually dimorphic traits were then examined for evidence of hormone disruption. Extensive variability was detected and patterns of chelal morphology were consistent with the gradient of endocrine disruption. However, overall, the patterns of morphological variability were not consistent with hormonally-mediated effects. This suggests that shore crabs are not susceptible to the same type of endocrine disrupting effects that have been detected in vertebrates, which are most commonly mediated via the oestrogen receptor. However, the potential for androgenic effects on crustacean morphology are discussed

Endocrine Disruption and Breast Cancer Risk Bibliography

Bibliography on endocrine disruption and breast cancer riskBibliography on endocrine disruption and breast cancer risk.New York State Department of Health and Department of Environmental Conservatio

Endocrine disruption in wildlife: The future?

Probably the only thing that can be said with certainty about the future of this field of ecotoxicology is that predicting it is foolish; the chances of being right are very slim. Instead, it seems to me likely that unexpected discoveries will probably have more influence on the field of endocrine disruption than the outcomes of all the planned experiments. It is certainly true that chance discoveries, such as masculinized fish in rivers receiving paper-mill effluent, imposex in molluscs due to exposure to tributyltin and feminized fish in rivers receiving effluent from sewage-treatment works, have been pivotal in the development of the field of endocrine disruption in wildlife. I consider that further such discoveries are likely, but I do not know which species will be affected, what effects will be found, what chemical(s) will be the cause, or what endocrine mechanism(s) will underlie the effects. The recent realization that many pharmaceuticals are present in the aquatic environment only underscores the range of effects that could, in theory at least, occur in exposed wildlife. What is somewhat easier to predict is the research that will be conducted in the immediate future, which will build upon what is known already. For example, it is clear that wildlife is rarely, if ever, exposed to single chemicals, but instead is exposed to highly complex, ill-defined mixtures of chemicals, including many that are endocrine active in various ways. We need to understand much better how chemicals interact, and what overall effects will occur upon exposure to such mixtures. We also need to move from assessing effects at the individual organism level, to understanding the consequences of these effects at the population level. Then, we need to determine the significance of any population-level effects due to endocrine disruption in comparison with the impact of many other significant stressors (e.g., over-exploitation, habitat loss, climate change) that also negatively impact wildlife. Such research will be difficult, and time-consuming, and will probably produce many surprises. All I can be fairly certain about is that the next few years are likely to be as interesting and exciting as the last few have been

Introduction: The ecological relevance of chemically induced endocrine disruption in wildlife

This article is part of the monograph “The Ecological Relevance of Chemically Induced Endocrine Disruption in Wildlife.

Disrupción endocrina e imposex

From the injurious effects generate by the pollutants, Endocrine Disruption (ED) constitute one of the worrying cases, since it affects directly the individuals exposed to the substances that act like disruptors, as indirectly causing effects in the trophic chain, and in the environment in general. Inside them, we will approach in thisreview a type of endocrine disruption called Imposex, which affects diverse species of marine gasteropods, with environmental consequences, economic and possible effects in mammals included humans

Mysid crustaceans as potential test organisms for the evaluation of environmental endocrine disruption: a review

Anthropogenic chemicals that disrupt the hormonal systems (endocrine disruptors) of wildlife species recently have become a widely investigated and politically charged issue. Invertebrates account for roughly 95% of all animals, yet surprisingly little effort has been made to understand their value in signaling potential environmental endocrine disruption. This omission largely can be attributed to the high diversity of invertebrates and the shortage of fundamental knowledge of their endocrine systems. Insects and crustaceans are exceptions and, as such, appear to be excellent candidates for evaluating the environmental consequences of chemically induced endocrine disruption. Mysid shrimp (Crustacea: Mysidacea) may serve as a viable surrogate for many crustaceans and have been put forward as suitable test organisms for the evaluation of endocrine disruption by several researchers and regulatory bodies (e.g., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Despite the long-standing use of mysids in toxicity testing, little information exists on their endocrinology, and few studies have focused on the potential of these animals for evaluating the effects of hormone-disrupting compounds. Therefore, the question remains as to whether the current standardized mysid endpoints can be used or adapted to detect endocrine disruption, or if new procedures must be developed, specifically directed at evaluating hormone-regulated endpoints in these animals. This review summarizes the ecological importance of mysids in estuarine and marine ecosystems, their use in toxicity testing and environmental monitoring, and their endocrinology and important hormone-regulated processes to highlight their potential use in assessing environmental endocrine disruption

COMPRENDO: Focus and approach

Tens of thousands of man-made chemicals are in regular use and discharged into the environment. Many of them are known to interfere with the hormonal systems in humans and wildlife. Given the complexity of endocrine systems, there are many ways in which endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can affect the body’s signaling system, and this makes unraveling the mechanisms of action of these chemicals difficult. A major concern is that some of these EDCs appear to be biologically active at extremely low concentrations. There is growing evidence to indicate that the guiding principle of traditional toxicology that “the dose makes the poison” may not always be the case because some EDCs do not induce the classical dose–response relationships. The European Union project COMPRENDO (Comparative Research on Endocrine Disrupters—Phylogenetic Approach and Common Principles focussing on Androgenic/Antiandrogenic Compounds) therefore aims to develop an understanding of potential health problems posed by androgenic and antiandrogenic compounds (AACs) to wildlife and humans by focusing on the commonalities and differences in responses to AACs across the animal kingdom (from invertebrates to vertebrates)

Molecular analysis of endocrine disruption in hornyhead turbot at wastewater outfalls in southern california using a second generation multi-species microarray.

Sentinel fish hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthysverticalis) captured near wastewater outfalls are used for monitoring exposure to industrial and agricultural chemicals of ~ 20 million people living in coastal Southern California. Although analyses of hormones in blood and organ morphology and histology are useful for assessing contaminant exposure, there is a need for quantitative and sensitive molecular measurements, since contaminants of emerging concern are known to produce subtle effects. We developed a second generation multi-species microarray with expanded content and sensitivity to investigate endocrine disruption in turbot captured near wastewater outfalls in San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles California. Analysis of expression of genes involved in hormone [e.g., estrogen, androgen, thyroid] responses and xenobiotic metabolism in turbot livers was correlated with a series of phenotypic end points. Molecular analyses of turbot livers uncovered altered expression of vitellogenin and zona pellucida protein, indicating exposure to one or more estrogenic chemicals, as well as, alterations in cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A, CYP3A and glutathione S-transferase-α indicating induction of the detoxification response. Molecular responses indicative of exposure to endocrine disruptors were observed in field-caught hornyhead turbot captured in Southern California demonstrating the utility of molecular methods for monitoring environmental chemicals in wastewater outfalls. Moreover, this approach can be adapted to monitor other sites for contaminants of emerging concern in other fish species for which there are few available gene sequences