In vitro exposure of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) testis to estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals: mRNA expression of genes encoding steroidogenic enzymes

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2012

Authors

ribeiro, c (Author) Other; urbatzka, r (Author) Other; castro, lfc (Author) Other; carrola, j (Author) Other; fontainhas-fernandes, a (Author) Other; monteiro, raf (Author) Other; rocha, e (Author) FCUP; rocha, mj (Author) ICBAS

Journal

Title: Toxicology Mechanisms And Methods

Vol. 22

Pages: 47-53

ISSN: 1537-6516

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 12 Citations

Scopus - 13 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Medical and Health sciences > Basic medicine

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-002-HGX

DOI: 10.3109/15376516.2011.593053

Abstract (EN): Many environmental pollutants can exert adverse effects on exposed organisms, including fish, leading to disruption of the endocrine system. Enzymes involved in the sex steroid biosynthesis are potential targets for the toxic action of pollutants. In this context, we investigated the hypothesis that selected estrogenic chemicals-the pharmaceutical estrogen ethinylestradiol (EE2), the phytoestrogen genistein (GEN), and the industrial compound bisphenol A (BPA)-may cause endocrine disruption by directly disturbing steps of fish steroidogenic pathways. We studied the mRNA expression of eight selected genes encoding steroidogenic enzymes (11 beta-HSD2, 20 beta-HSD, 3 beta-HSD1, 17 beta-HSD1, 17 beta-HSD8, 17 beta-HSD12, CYP19a, CYP19b) by quantitative real-time PCR. Testis slices from adult specimens of the model fish Nile tilapia were exposed in vitro for 3 and 8 h either to individual or to mixture solutions of EE2 (100 ng/L), GEN (200 ng/L), and BPA (10 mu g/L); all at the peak concentrations observed in the Douro River estuary (Portugal). Our data revealed that only the mixture of the tested chemicals directly induced the expression of 11 beta-HSD2, 17 beta-HSD1, and 17 beta-HSD12, after 8 h, whereas no effect was seen for chemicals tested individually. The gene expression pattern agrees with the concept of dose addition for environmental mixtures, and for the first time an interference of estrogenic EDCs is reported for 17 beta-HSD1 and 17 beta-HSD12.</.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 7