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. 2006 Mar 30:5:9.
doi: 10.1186/1476-069X-5-9.

Estrogen-like activity of seafood related to environmental chemical contaminants

Sonia Garritano  1 , Barbara Pinto, Marco Calderisi, Teresa Cirillo, Renata Amodio-Cocchieri, Daniela Reali
Affiliations

Estrogen-like activity of seafood related to environmental chemical contaminants

Sonia Garritano et al. Environ Health. .

Abstract

Background: A wide variety of environmental pollutants occur in surface waters, including estuarine and marine waters. Many of these contaminants are recognised as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) which can adversely affect the male and female reproductive system by binding the estrogen receptor and exhibiting hormone-like activities. In this study the estrogenic activity of extracts of edible marine organisms for human consumption from the Mediterranean Sea was assayed.

Methods: Marine organisms were collected in two different areas of the Mediterranean Sea. The estrogenic activity of tissues was assessed using an in vitro yeast reporter gene assay (S. cerevisiae RMY 326 ER-ERE). Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (congeners 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, 180) in fish tissue was also evaluated.

Results: Thirty-eight percent of extracts showed a hormone-like activity higher than 10% of the activity elicited by 10 nM 17b-estradiol (E2) used as control. Total PCB concentrations ranged from 0.002 up to 1.785 ng/g wet weight. Chemical analyses detected different levels of contamination among the species collected in the two areas, with the ones collected in the Adriatic Sea showing concentrations significantly higher than those collected in the Tyrrhenian Sea (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: The more frequent combination of chemicals in the samples that showed higher estrogenic activity was PCB 28, PCB 101, PCB 153, PCB 180. The content of PCBs and estrogenic activity did not reveal any significant correlation.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Dose-response curve of E2 concentrations. Data represent the mean ± S.D. of sixteen independent experiments.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Differences in total PCBs content (Log) in samples from the Adriatic and the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of individual PCB congeners in samples from the Adriatic Sea (■) and the Tyrrhenian (▨) Sea. Species from the Adriatic Sea were more contaminated than those collected in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Number of positive samples (n) for individual PCB congener in the Adriatic Sea: PCB 28 (n = 6), PCB 52 (n = 8), PCB 101 (n = 6), PCB 118 (n = 7), PCB 138 (n = 14), PCB 153 (n = 18), PCB 180 (n = 15). Number of positive samples (n) for individual PCB congener in the Tyrrhenian Sea: PCB 28 (n = 18), PCB 52 (n = 4), PCB 101 (n = 12), PCB 118 (n = 7), PCB 138 (n = 5), PCB 153 (n = 11), PCB 180 (n = 11).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Principal components analysis loading plot of PCBs contamination in samples collected in the Adriatic Sea.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Principal components analysis loading plot of PCBs contamination in samples collected in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Figure 6
Figure 6
b-galactosidase activity induced by tissue extracts of seafood from the Adriatic Sea. Results are expressed as percent activity induced by 10 nM E2.
Figure 7
Figure 7
b-galactosidase activity induced by tissue extracts of seafood from the Tyrrhenian Sea. Results are expressed as percent activity induced by 10 nM E2.
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