Seasonal changes in developmental stages, condition factor (CF), gonadosomatic index, and plasma vitellogenin (Vtg) concentrations in male and female hornyhead turbot were examined at the wastewater outfall (T1) of the Orange County Sanitation District, and two farfield sites T11 (7.7 km northwest of the outfall) and Dana Point (35 km south of the outfall) between February 2005 and May 2006. Fish collected from the three sites exhibited male-oriented sex ratios. With few exceptions, developmental stages, CF, and GSI of both genders and plasma Vtg concentrations of females were not significantly different in samples collected from different sites at the same sampling period. More advanced gonad developmental stages and higher plasma Vtg concentrations in females were observed in August, indicating the seasonality of the reproductive cycle for this species. Plasma Vtg concentrations in males were observed in all of the sampling sites with the highest prevalence at T11 relative to T1 and Dana Point. The Vtg expression in males from the three sampling sites indicated widespread exposure to estrogenic compounds in waters of coastal California. However, the histopathological and reproductive relevance of the responses appeared to be insignificant and may not affect the population in these locations.
Male and female hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthys verticalis) were exposed to four concentrations (0, 0.75, 14.7 and 46.5 ng/g dry weight) of E2-amended sediment for 7 days. Sediment-derived E2 was bioavailable to the flatfish, though the route of uptake was unclear. A concentration of 46.5 ng/g E2 in sediment led to a significant increase in vitellogenin concentrations in the plasma in both sexes after 7 days of exposure. Though plasma E2 concentrations increased significantly in males at sediment E2 concentrations of 0.75 ng/g dry weight and above, a dose-dependent increase was not observed. There was also no correlation between sediment E2 concentrations, plasma E2 concentrations, and oxidative DNA damage in male gonads. The results suggest that the DNA damage previously seen in the gonads of feral hornyhead turbot at a sewage outfall is likely not caused by acute exposure to exogenous E2 from sediments.
KeywordsEstradiol; DNA damage; Oxidative stress; 8-OxodG; Vitellogenin A correlation between plasma 17β-estradiol (E2) and DNA damage using the comet assay in germ cells of male hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthys verticalis) was observed at an oceanic wastewater outfall in southern California (Rempel et al., 2006). E2 concentrations in sediments around the outfall were roughly 3-fold higher than those at a reference location (0.45 ng/g vs. 0.16 ng/g dry weight), where no correlation between plasma E2 levels and DNA damage was demonstrated (Schlenk et al., 2005). Mammalian cytochrome P450 1B1 catalyzes production of 4-hydroxy estradiol, which is further metabolized to semiquinones and quinones causing oxidative DNA damage due to redox cycling (Han and Liehr, 1994). The purpose of this study was to determine whether acute exposures to E2 within sediment could cause oxidative DNA damage in turbot testes, as measured by 8-oxodeoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) levels.Hornyhead turbot were collected by otter trawl from a reference location identified by the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) for their ocean monitoring program (latitude 33°36.055′, longitude 118°05.199′). Fish were collected in February 2005; none of the females were gravid, but sperm was observed in males. The fish were held in artificial seawater (34 ppt) at 14 ± 1 °C for 4 days and fed once daily with earthworms.
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