Endocrine effects of real-life mixtures of persistent organic pollutants (POP) in experimental models and wild fish

Abstract

A series of studies have assessed the occurrence, levels, and potential adverse effects of persistent organic pollutants (POP) in fish from Lake Mjøsa. In this lake, high levels of various POP were detected in biota. Fish from the nearby Lake Losna contain background levels of POP and served as reference (controls) in these studies. Significantly higher prevalence of mycobacteriosis and pathological changes were documented in burbot (Lota lota) from Mjøsa compared to burbot from Losna. Further, transcriptional profiling identified changes in gene expression in burbot from Mjøsa compared to burbot from Losna associated with drug metabolism enzymes and oxidative stress. POP extracted from burbot liver oil from the two lakes was used to expose zebrafish (Danio rerio) during two consecutive generations. During both generations, POP mixtures from both lakes increased the rate of mortality, induced earlier onset of puberty, and skewed sex ratio toward males. However, opposite effects on weight gain were found in exposure groups compared to controls during the two generations. Exposure to POP from both lakes was associated with suppression of ovarian follicle development. Analyses of genome-wide transcription profiling identified functional networks of genes associated with weight homeostasis, steroid hormone functions, and insulin signaling. In human cell studies using adrenocortical H295R and primary porcine theca and granulosa cells, exposure to lake extracts from both populations modulated steroid hormone production with significant difference from controls. The results suggest that POP from both lakes may possess the potential to induce endocrine disruption and may adversely affect health in wild fish.

Impacts of marine and freshwater aquaculture on wildlife: a global meta‐analysis

“…Crump & Trudeau ; Berg et al . ). For fish, the primary concern may be the effect of proximity to farms on disease and parasitism rates: high population densities within farms create favourable conditions for outbreaks of diseases and parasites such as sea lice (Krkosek et al .…”

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in Portuguese educational settings: a comparison between preschools and elementary schools

“…The PAH are highly lipophilic such that human bioavailabil-ity is significant (Sarigiannis et al, 2015), and these compounds were detected in nearly all internal organs (principally in adipose tissues) (Abdel-Shafy & Mansour, 2016). A number of PAH are mutagenic, genotoxic (Annesi-Maesano et al, 2007;Tuntawiroon et al, 2007) and considered as endocrine disrupting chemicals (Berg et al, 2016;WHO, 2013). Cancer is the major disease concern for PAH exposure (Abdel-Shafy & Mansour, 2016;Boström et al, 2002) with several individual congeners being designated as carcinogenic (probable and/or possible ones) (IARC, 2002(IARC, , 2010).…”

Nutritional Quality and Assessment of Contaminants in Farmed Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.) of Different Origins

“…Despite the fact that some of these compounds are prohibited from long-term use and are listed under the annexes of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), they are still often detected in fish, in relatively high concentrations [9,10]. ese chemicals are endocrine disruptors for fish, and moreover, their intake contributes to the total body load of POPs in humans [11]. To protect consumers from the consumption of contaminated fish, the European Commission has set the maximum limits for indicator PCBs (congeners 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, and 180), dioxin-like PCBs, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and dibenzofurans (PCDDs/PCDFs) by the regulation no.…”