Assessment of estrogen disrupting potency in animal foodstuffs of China by combined biological and chemical analyses

Food has been documented as one of major routes for human exposure to environmental estrogens（EEs）, but information on the occurrence of EEs in animal foodstuffs is still scarce.This study analyzed estrogenic activity in 16 types of animal foodstuffs（n = 142） collected from four cities（Wuhan, Guangzhou, Wenzhou and Yantai） of China by combined yeast estrogen screen（YES） bioassay and chemical analysis. By bioassay, all samples＇ extracts were found to induce estrogenic activities and the bioassay-derived 17β-estradiol equivalent（EEQbio） ranged from 8.29 to 118.32 ng/g. In addition, the samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry for further chemical analysis. 17β-Estradiol was found in all samples in this survey at levels of 0.44 to 15.04 ng/g.All samples had 33.1% detection rate of 17α-ethinylestradiol（EE2）, and the maximum concentration was 2.80 ng/g. Bisphenol A and 4-nonylphenols were detected in 83.8% and83.1% of samples, with concentrations up to 12.56 ng/g and 35.76 ng/g, respectively.However, the concentrations of estrone, diethylstilbestrol and 4-t-octylphenol were found to be below the limit of detection. A comparison of EEQbiomeasured from the YES assay and EEQchemcalculated from chemical analysis showed good correlation（R2= 0.84）. Based on the results, the YES assay can be used as a rapid pre-screening method for monitoring the levels of estrogenic activity in large numbers of animal foodstuffs, and chemical analysis used in combination can be used for the identification of specific EEs.     

基于不同毒性终点的双酚A(BPA)预测无效应浓度(PNEC)研究

双酚A(BPA)已被证实是一种类雌激素类物质。本研究根据BPA对水生生物毒性效应的特点,按照不同的毒性终点将BPA的毒性数据进行归类,采用物种敏感度分布法(species sensitivity distribution,SSD)推导了BPA对水生生物的预测无效应浓度(predicted no effect concentration,PNEC)。结果表明:以雌激素效应为暴露终点的急、慢性PNEC分别为25.11μg·L-1、1.075μg·L-1;而以所有数据的急、慢性毒性效应为暴露终点推导的PNEC值分别为355.7μg·L-1、7.549μg·L-1。BPA对水生生物的雌激素效应更为敏感,建议在推导BPA这类内分泌干扰物的PNEC值时,应依据其毒性终点分别推导,从而得到更加合理的基准值。研究成果以期为我国地表水环境质量标准的制修订提供数据支持。     

天然类固醇雌激素源解析、环境行为及其污染控制

天然类固醇雌激素是一种在生物体内具有极强雌激素效应的内分泌干扰物,其在环境中的广泛存在严重影响野生动物尤其是鱼类的正常生长和发育,对环境生态系统所产生的破坏也日趋严重,然而其危害依然没有引起足够的重视。文章研究在阐述天然类固醇雌激素基本理化性质和环境存在形态的基础上,解析其在人类和畜禽的环境来源,分析其在地表水和地下水的污染状况以及环境迁移和生物积累等环境行为,并综合探讨了现今较为常见的如活性污泥法、光降解法以及微滤、纳滤和反渗透等与天然类固醇雌激素相关的污染控制技术,以期为天然类固醇雌激素的毒理性质、污染现状及相关控制方法的深入研究提供支撑。在此基础上,提出深入天然类固醇雌激素微量检测技术研究、加强国家行政管理层面上的污染控制等已十分急迫。     

AO与AAO工艺去除雌激素效能对比及分析

为探讨不同污水处理工艺对雌激素类有机物的处理效能,本研究设计并同时运行了AO和AAO两种污水处理工艺,在稳定运行条件下,比较了两种工艺对各种常规水质指标和雌激素的去除状况.试验结果表明,AAO系统对污染物去除效能明显优于AO系统.AAO对COD、TN、NH4+-N、TP及TOC的去除效能分别比AO高出7.55%、20....     

Estrogen-related receptor disruption of source water and drinking water treatment processes extracts

Environmental chemicals in drinking water can impact human health through nuclear receptors. Additionally, estrogen-related receptors (ERRs) are vulnerable to endocrine-disrupting e ects. To date, however, ERR disruption of drinking water potency has not been reported. We used ERR two-hybrid yeast assay to screen ERR disrupting activities in a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) located in north China and in source water from a reservoir, focusing on agonistic, antagonistic, and inverse agonistic activity to 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT). Water treatment processes in the DWTP consisted of pre-chlorination, coagulation, coal and sand filtration, activated carbon filtration, and secondary chlorination processes. Samples were extracted by solid phase extraction. Results showed that ERR antagonistic activities were found in all sample extracts, but agonistic and inverse agonistic activity to 4-OHT was not found. When calibrated with the toxic equivalent of 4-OHT, antagonistic e uent e ects ranged from 3.4 to 33.1 g/L. In the treatment processes, secondary chlorination was e ective in removing ERR antagonists, but the coagulation process led to significantly increased ERR antagonistic activity. The drinking water treatment processes removed 73.5% of ERR antagonists. To our knowledge, the occurrence of ERR disruption activities on source and drinking water in vitro had not been reported previously. It is vital, therefore, to increase our understanding of ERR disrupting activities in drinking water.     

Effects of nonylphenol on ovarian cancer cells PEO4 c-myc and p53 mRNA and protein expression

The molecular mechanisms underlying proliferation and apoptosis induced by p-nonylphenol (NP) through regulation of mRNA and protein expression of c-myc, p53 mRNA and the protein was investigated using ovarian cancer PEO4 cells. PEO4 cells were grown in the Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium (DMEM), 3(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) 2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was employed to investigate cell proliferation. RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry was performed to determine mRNA and protein expression of PEO4 c-myc and p53. Within the range of approximately 8–9×10^?7 mol L^?1, NP stimulated proliferation in PEO4 cells in a concentration-and time-dependent manner. RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry analyses revealed that treatment with 32 × 10^?7 mol L^?1 NP for 72 hr resulted in increased mRNA and protein expression of PEO4 c-myc and p53. Evidence indicates that NP exerted estrogenic actions and stimulated proliferation in estrogen responsive ovarian cancer PEO4 cells by up-regulation of c-myc mRNA and protein expression.     

深圳河典型内分泌干扰物分布和季节变化规律研究

2011年6月至2012年5月在深圳河沿程采集水样,采用固相萃取一氮吹一衍生化的预处理方法和气相色谱/质谱联用法,对壬基酚(NP)、辛基酚(OP)、双酚A(BPA)、雌酮(E1)、雌二醇(E2)、17α-雌二醇(17α-E2)、雌三醇(E3)、雌炔醇(EE2)等8种内分泌干扰物(EDCs)在深圳河的浓度分布和时空变化规律进行了研究.同时通过主成分分析考察了EDCs与常规水质污染物的关系.结果表明,NP、BPA、E1、E3、EE2在深圳河各河段均有检出,而OP、17α-E2、E2的检出率均低于20％,EDCs主要来源是NP和BPA;深圳河旱季和雨季EDCs的浓度变化大,其中NP浓度表现出旱季高雨季低的规律,旱季浓度是雨季的1.74～5.63倍,但BPA和3种甾醇类雌激素的浓度呈现出了雨季高旱季低的相反变化规律,这应该与污水处理厂雨季污水溢流有关；通过主成分分析发现,BPA与DO存在明显的负相关关系,生物作用可能在BPA去除和甾醇类雌激素转化中起到了重要作用,具体机制还有待进一步研究.     

A Biomimetic Approach to the Detection and Identification of Estrogen Receptor Agonists in Surface Waters Using Semipermeable Membrane Devices (SPMDs) and Bioassay-Directed Chemical Analysis (12 pp)

Goal, Scope and Background Some anthropogenic pollutants posses the capacity to disrupt endogenous control of developmental and reproductive processes in aquatic biota by activating estrogen receptors. Many anthropogenic estrogen receptor agonists (ERAs) are hydrophobic and will therefore readily partition into the abiotic organic carbon phases present in natural waters. This partitioning process effectively reduces the proportion of ERAs readily available for bioconcentration by aquatic biota. Results from some studies have suggested that for many aquatic species, bioconcentration of the freely-dissolved fraction may be the principal route of uptake for hydrophobic pollutants with logarithm n-octanol/water partition coefficient (log Kow) values less than approximately 6.0, which includes the majority of known anthropogenic ERAs. The detection and identification of freely-dissolved readily bioconcentratable ERAs is therefore an important aspect of exposure and risk assessment. However, most studies use conventional techniques to sample total ERA concentrations and in doing so frequently fail to account for bioconcentration of the freely-dissolved fraction. The aim of the current study was to couple the biomimetic sampling properties of semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) to a bioassay-directed chemical analysis (BDCA) scheme for the detection and identification of readily bioconcentratable ERAs in surface waters. Methods SPMDs were constructed and deployed at a number of sites in Germany and the UK. Following the dialytic recovery of target compounds and size exclusion chromatographic clean-up, SPMD samples were fractionated using a reverse-phase HPLC method calibrated to provide an estimation of target analyte log Kow. A portion of each HPLC fraction was then subjected to the yeast estrogen screen (YES) to determine estrogenic potential. Results were plotted in the form of 'estrograms' which displayed profiles of estrogenic potential as a function of HPLC retention time (i.e. hydrophobicity) for each of the samples. Where significant activity was elicited in the YES, the remaining portion of the respective active fraction was subjected to GC-MS analysis in an attempt to identify the ERAs present. Results and Discussion Estrograms from each of the field samples showed that readily bioconcentratable ERAs were present at each of the sampling sites. Estimated log Kow values for the various active fractions ranged from 1.92 to 8.63. For some samples, estrogenic potential was associated with a relatively narrow range of log Kow values whilst in others estrogenic potential was more widely distributed across the respective estrograms. ERAs identified in active fractions included some benzophenones, various nonylphenol isomers, benzyl butyl phthalate, dehydroabietic acid, sitosterol, 3-(4-methylbenzylidine)camphor (4-MBC) and 6-acetyl-1,1,2,4,4,7-hexamethyltetralin (AHTN). Other tentatively identified compounds which may have contributed to the observed YES activity included various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their alkylated derivatives, methylated benzylphenols, various alkylphenols and dialkylphenols. However, potential ERAs present in some active fractions remain unidentified. Conclusions and Outlook Our results show that SPMD-YES-based BDCA can be used to detect and identify readily bioconcentratable ERAs in surface waters. As such, this biomimetic approach can be employed as an alternative to conventional methodologies to provide investigators with a more environmentally relevant insight into the distribution and identity of ERAs in surface waters. The use of alternative bioassays also has the potential to expand SPMD-based BDCA to include a wide range of toxicological endpoints. Improvements to the analytical methodology used to identify ERAs or other target compounds in active fractions in the current study could greatly enhance the applicability of the methodology to risk assessment and monitoring programmes.     

The arrival and discharge of conjugated estrogens from a range of different sewage treatment plants in the UK

The occurrence of free and conjugated estrogens was examined in a survey of eleven sewage treatment plants (STPs) and their discharge water in the United Kingdom using grab sampling. The STPs included trickling filter with and without tertiary treatment, and activated sludge with tertiary treatment. For three activated sludge plants both influent and effluent samples were compared. For a further 8 STPs only the effluent was examined. The estrone-3-sulphate, estradiol-3-sulphate and estriol-3-sulphate concentrations (up to 20 ng L⁻¹) were typically 5-fold that of the respective free estrogen concentration in the effluents. This represents a substantial additional ‘potential’ estrogen load arriving in the receiving waters. Estrone-3-glucuronide was found at 9 ng L⁻¹, estradiol-3-glucuronide at 7 ng L⁻¹, and estriol-3-glucuronide at 32 ng L⁻¹ in sewage influent. Except on one occasion, no glucuronide conjugates could be found in the effluent. The results suggest in most cases glucuronide conjugates will be completely transformed in sewage treatment whilst sulphate conjugates will only be partially removed.     

Endocrine disrupting activities in sewage effluent and river water determined by chemical analysis and in vitro assay in the context of granular activated carbon upgrade

As part of endocrine disruption in catchments (EDCAT) programme, this work aims to assess the temporal and spatial variations of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in River Ray, before and after the commissioning of a full-scale granular activated carbon (GAC) plant at a sewage treatment works (STW). Through spot and passive sampling from effluent and river sites, estrogenic and anti-androgenic activities were determined by chemical analysis and in vitro bio-assay. A correlation was found between chemical analyses of the most potent estrogens (estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2)) and yeast estrogen screen (YES) measurement, both showing clearly a reduction in estrogenic activity after the commissioning of the GAC plant at the STW. During the study period, the annual average concentrations of E1, E2 and EE2 had decreased from 3.5 ng L⁻¹, 3.1 ng L⁻¹ and 0.5 ng L⁻¹ to below their limit of detection (LOD), respectively, with a concentration reduction of at least 91%, 81% and 60%. Annual mean estrogenic activity measured by YES of spot samples varied from 1.9 ng L⁻¹ to 0.4 ng L⁻¹ E2 equivalent between 2006 and 2008 representing a 79% reduction. Similarly, anti-androgenic activity measured by yeast anti-androgen screen (anti-YAS) of spot samples was reduced from 148.8 to 22.4 μg flutamide L⁻¹, or by 85%. YES and anti-YAS values were related to each other, suggesting co-existence of both types of activities from chemical mixtures in environmental samples. The findings confirm the effectiveness of a full-scale GAC in removing both estrogenic and anti-androgenic activities from sewage effluent.