Tissue Distribution and Depuration of 4-tert-Octylphenol Residues in the Cyprinid Fish, Scardinius erythrophthalmus

Abstract

Alkylphenols are present in the aquatic environment through the degradation of alkylphenolpolyethoxylate surfactants in sewage treatment works. Branched chain 4-alkylphenols have been shown to retard testicular growth and stimulate vitellogenin synthesis in freshwater fish. We conducted in vivo studies in order to determine the fate and persistence of radiolabeled 4-tert-octylphenol (tOP) in the cyprinid fish, rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus). Sexually mature rudd were exposed to a concentration of 4.7 microg/L of [14C] tOP in a flow through system for 10 days. Radioactive residues were extracted from soft tissues and analyzed by radio-high-performance liquid chromatography. tOP accumulated as the major residue in muscle, ovary, and testis with bioconcentration factors of 24, 85, and 169, respectively. tOP residues in blood, gill, kidney, liver, and bile were extensively metabolized. Analysis of tOP residues in bile revealed 10 major metabolites, which were identified by GC-MS as products of aromatic and aliphatic hydroxylation, glucuronidation, and glucosidation. Depuration studies with exposed fish placed in clean water for up to 10 days resulted in a rapid loss of soluble residues from the tissues with half-lives of between 0.7 and 1.0 days (muscle, testis, ovary, gill, blood, kidney), 1.7 days (liver), and 5.9 days (bile). A further portion of radioactive residues was extracted from blood, gill, kidney, and liver after alkaline digestion, suggesting the formation of covalently bound protein adducts in these tissues. This study suggests that although para-alkyphenolic xenoestrogens can accumulate in muscle and the gonads of adult fish, residues are rapidly depurated from these tissues. Furthermore, analysis of the parent alkylphenol in bile, after hydrolysis of the conjugates, is likely to significantly underestimate the total concentration of alkylphenol residues and may not serve as an appropriate biomarker for quantifying the exposure of wild fish to alkylphenols.

Distribution and bioconcentration of endocrine disrupting chemicals in surface water and fish bile of the Pearl River Delta, South China

“…These in situ BCF values of OP and NP in this field study were consistent with those reported by other investigators. The BCF values had been reported for NP (34 121) in roach bile and for t-OP in trout (56 000) (Smith and Hill, 2004) and rud (20 000) by Ferreira-Leach and Hill (2001) and Pedersen and Hill (2002). And these values were slightly lower than the EEQ BCF in the bile of fish exposed to sewage effluent reported by Tyler et al (2005).…”

“…Recent studies showed that http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.01.048 0045-6535/Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. numerous chemical substances, including estrogens and alkylphenols, tend to concentrate as glucuronide and sulfate conjugates in fish bile (Larsson et al, 1999;Ferreira-Leach and Hill, 2001;Legler et al, 2002;Pedersen and Hill, 2002). Moreover, analysis of fish bile, representative of recent exposure to bioavailable contaminants, was employed to identify and quantify polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Ruddock et al, 2003;Johnson-Restrepo et al, 2008), chlorinated phenols (Brumley et al, 1998), resin, and fatty acids from pulp and paper mill effluents (Leppänen et al, 1998).…”

Occurrence and temporal variations of the xenoestrogens bisphenol A, 4-tert-octylphenol, and tech. 4-nonylphenol in two German wastewater treatment plants

“…Alkylphenol ethoxylates are used, among others, as nonionic surfactants in household and industrial detergents and reach the hydrosphere by household and industrial wastewater (Leisewitz et al 2003). Alkylphenol ethoxylates consisted until 2002 mainly of nonylphenol ethoxylates (80%) and octylphenol ethoxylates (15-20%; Pedersen and Hill 2002). Tech.…”

Konposatu disruptore endokrinoen azterketa kimika analitikoaren ikuspuntutik

“…Bigarren erreakzioari 2. fasea (Phase II) deritzo. Han, metabolito berri horien -OH edo -COOH taldeei glukuronido [32][33][34], glukosido [35] edo sulfato [32] talde bat lotzen zaie, konposatu polarragoak lortuz; hartara, behazunaren bidez kanporatzeko errazagoak diren konposatuak bilakatuz. Konposatu polarragoak (eraldatu gabe -OH edo -COOH taldea daukatenek) ez dute 1. fasea pairatzen, eta zuzenean 2. fasean transformatzen dira.…”