The chemical ultraviolet (UV) filter benzophenone-3 (BP-3) is suspected to be an endocrine disruptor based on results from in vitro and in vivo testing. However, studies including endpoints of endocrine adversity are lacking. The present study investigated the potential endocrine-disrupting effects of BP-3 in zebrafish (Danio rerio) in the Fish Sexual Development Test (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development TG 234) and a 12-d adult male zebrafish study. In TG 234, exposure from 0 d to 60 d posthatch caused a monotone dose-dependent skewing of the phenotypic sex ratio toward fewer males and more female zebrafish (no observed effect concentration [NOEC]: 191 μg/L, lowest observed effect concentration [LOEC]: 388 μg/L). Besides, gonad maturation was affected in both female fish (NOEC 191 μg/L, LOEC 388 μg/L) and male fish (NOEC 388 μg/L, LOEC 470 μg/L). Exposure to BP-3 did not affect the vitellogenin concentration in TG 234. After 12 d exposure of adult male zebrafish, a slight yet significant increase in the vitellogenin concentration was observed at 268 μg/L but not at 63 μg/L and 437 μg/L BP-3. Skewing of the sex ratio is a marker of an endocrine-mediated mechanism as well as a marker of adversity, and therefore the conclusion of the present study is that BP-3 is an endocrine-disrupting chemical in accordance with the World Health Organization's definition.
Cyanobacterial toxins and pesticides regularly impact freshwaters. Microcystin-LR is one of the most toxic and common cyanobacterial toxins whereas glyphosate is the active ingredient of a widely use herbicide. As filter feeders, freshwater mussels are particularly exposed. Like many native bivalve species, Unio pictorum suffers from a continuous decline in Europe. In order to get a deeper insight of its response to contaminants, U. pictorum was exposed to either 10 μg L(-1) of microcystin-LR or 10 μg L(-1) of glyphosate or a mixture of both. Proteins of the digestive glands were extracted and analyzed by DIGE. Gel analysis revealed 103 spots with statistical variations, and the response seems to be less toward glyphosate than to microcystin-LR. Specific spots have variations only when exposed to the mixture, showing that there is an interaction of both contaminants in the responses triggered. The proteins of 30 spots have been identified. They belong mostly to the cytoskeleton family, but proteins of the oxidative pathway, detoxification, and energetic metabolism were affected either by glyphosate or microcystin-LR or by the mixture. These results demonstrate the importance to study contaminants at low concentrations representative of those found in the field and that multicontaminations can lead to different response pathways.
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