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Bertolatus DW, Barber LB, Martyniuk CJ, Zhen H, Collette TW, Ekman DR, Jastrow A, Rapp JL, Vajda AM. Multi-omic responses of fish exposed to complex chemical mixtures in the Shenandoah River watershed. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 902:165975. [PMID: 37536598 PMCID: PMC10592118 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
To evaluate relationships between different anthropogenic impacts, contaminant occurrence, and fish health, we conducted in situ fish exposures across the Shenandoah River watershed at five sites with different land use. Exposure water was analyzed for over 500 chemical constituents, and organismal, metabolomic, and transcriptomic endpoints were measured in fathead minnows. Adverse reproductive outcomes were observed in fish exposed in the upper watershed at both wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent- and agriculture-impacted sites, including decreased gonadosomatic index and altered secondary sex characteristics. This was accompanied with increased mortality at the site most impacted by agricultural activities. Molecular biomarkers of estrogen exposure were unchanged and consistent with low or non-detectable concentrations of common estrogens, indicating that alternative mechanisms were involved in organismal adverse outcomes. Hepatic metabolomic and transcriptomic profiles were altered in a site-specific manner, consistent with variation in land use and contaminant profiles. Integrated biomarker response data were useful for evaluating mechanistic linkages between contaminants and adverse outcomes, suggesting that reproductive endocrine disruption, altered lipid processes, and immunosuppression may have been involved in these organismal impacts. This study demonstrated linkages between human-impact, contaminant occurrence, and exposure effects in the Shenandoah River watershed and showed increased risk of adverse outcomes in fathead minnows exposed to complex mixtures at sites impacted by municipal wastewater discharges and agricultural practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W Bertolatus
- Adams State University, School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, 208 Edgemont Blvd, Alamosa, CO 81101, USA.
| | - Larry B Barber
- U.S. Geological Survey, 3215 Marine Street, Boulder, CO 80303, USA.
| | - Christopher J Martyniuk
- Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florida Genetics Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
| | - Huajun Zhen
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Athens, GA 30605, USA
| | - Timothy W Collette
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Athens, GA 30605, USA.
| | - Drew R Ekman
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Athens, GA 30605, USA.
| | - Aaron Jastrow
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5 Laboratory Services and Applied Science Division, Chicago, IL, 60605 USA.
| | - Jennifer L Rapp
- U.S. Geological Survey, Integrated Information Dissemination Division, Decision Support Branch, 1730 East Parham Road, Richmond, VA 23228, USA.
| | - Alan M Vajda
- University of Colorado Denver, Department of Integrative Biology, CB 171, Denver, CO 80217, USA.
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Baynes A, Lange A, Beresford N, Bryden E, Whitlock K, Tyler CR, Jobling S. Endocrine Disruption Is Reduced but Still Widespread in Wild Roach ( Rutilus rutilus) Living in English Rivers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:12632-12641. [PMID: 37595157 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c02854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/20/2023]
Abstract
Endocrine disruption of wild fish, primarily resulting in the feminization of males, has been reported in English river sites for several decades. Estrogenic activity emanating from wastewater treatment works (WwTW) has been conclusively demonstrated to be the main driver of these feminized phenotypes. Here, we revisit 10 English river sites previously surveyed in the late 1990s and early 2000s to assess how the frequency and severity of feminization now compare with the historical surveys. In the contemporary assessment, 60% of the sites revisited still showed endocrine disruption at the tissue organization level (oocytes present in otherwise male gonads; intersex) and 90% of sites had average male plasma vitellogenin concentrations (female-specific yolk protein; a sensitive biomarker of estrogen exposure) above natural baseline levels. In contrast to the historic surveys, none of the males sampled in the contemporary survey had ovarian cavities. At one of the larger WwTW, improvements to treatment technology may have driven a significant reduction in intersex induction, whereas at several of the smaller WwTW sites, the frequencies of feminization did not differ from those observed in the late 1990s. In conclusion, we show that although the severity of feminization is now reduced at many of the revisited sites, endocrine-disrupting chemicals are still impacting wild fish living downstream of WwTW in England.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Baynes
- Environmental Sciences, College of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH, U.K
| | - Anke Lange
- Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, U.K
| | - Nicola Beresford
- Environmental Sciences, College of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH, U.K
| | - Euan Bryden
- Environmental Sciences, College of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH, U.K
| | - Katie Whitlock
- Environment Agency, Horizon House, Deanery Road, Bristol BS1 5AH, U.K
| | - Charles R Tyler
- Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, U.K
| | - Susan Jobling
- Environmental Sciences, College of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH, U.K
- College of Business, Arts and Social Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH, U.K
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Urich ML, Henderson WM, MacLeod AH, Yonkos LT, Bringolf RB. Gonad metabolomics and blood biochemical analysis reveal differences associated with testicular oocytes in wild largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2020; 250:110491. [PMID: 32827749 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2020.110491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Adverse reproductive effects associated with gonadal intersex among freshwater fish could hold considerable implications for population sustainability. Presence of testicular oocytes (TO) is the most common form of intersex and is widespread among centrarchids (sunfishes) of North America and other freshwater teleosts. Placing TO within the toxicological context of adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) to assess ecological risk is a priority for ecotoxicologists due to the association of TO with harmful chemical exposure and adverse reproductive effects in some cases. However, key event relationships between EDC exposure, incidence of TO, and apical outcomes have yet to be fully elucidated - in part due to a lack of knowledge of relationships between intersex gonad physiology and fish health. Understanding the physiological status of intersex fish is critical to assess ecological risk, understand mechanisms of induction, and to establish biomarkers of intersex in fish. In the present study, features of gonad metabolite profiles associated with TO in largemouth bass (LMB, Micropterus salmoides) from an impoundment in Georgia (USA) were determined using GC-MS-based metabolomics. Clinical blood biochemical screens were used to evaluate markers of fish health associated with TO. Results suggest that physiological changes in energy expenditure as well as relatively 'feminized' gonad lipid and protein metabolism may be related to the occurrence of TO in male LMB, and highlight the need to understand relationships between intersex and physical stressors such as elevated temperature and hypoxia. These results provide novel insight to AOPs associated with TO and identify candidate analytes for biomarker discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew L Urich
- University of Georgia, Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program, Athens, GA, USA
| | - W Matthew Henderson
- United State Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Alexander H MacLeod
- University of Maryland, Environmental Sciences Department, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Lance T Yonkos
- University of Maryland, Environmental Sciences Department, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Robert B Bringolf
- University of Georgia, Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program, Athens, GA, USA.
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