Bisphenol A in Artificial Indoor Streams: II. Stress Response and Gonad Histology in Gammarus fossarum (Amphipoda)

Abstract

The effects of the world wide-distributed chemical bisphenol A (BPA) on the endocrine system of vertebrates have been demonstrated in several studies. Here, we report on the impact of BPA (0, 5, 50 and 500 microg/l nominally, deduced effective concentrations 0, 0.24, 2.4, and 24.1 microg/l, respectively, all at 15 degrees C) on the 70 kD stress protein family (hsp70), the 90 kD stress protein family (hsp90), and gonad histology of the crustacean Gammarus fossarum exposed in artificial indoor streams. The animals were exposed for a maximum of 103 days and samples were taken at the beginning and at days 34, 69 and 103 of the experiment. Exposure to BPA resulted in accelerated maturation of oocytes in females and in a decline in the number and size of early vitellogenic oocytes. The level of hsp90, which plays a pivotal role in vertebrate sex steroid signal transduction, was significantly reduced by BPA. In all five streams, measured parameters did not indicate any captivity stress for a period of 69 days. Beyond this time, the mortality rate and proteotoxic effects, the latter measured by hsp70 expression, were found to be elevated.

Sex steroid receptor evolution and signalling in aquatic invertebrates

“…Furthermore, in a long-term exposure experiment, populations of the freshwater amphipod, Gammarus pulex, showed a shift in the male:female ratio from initially 1:1 to 0.36:1 when exposed to 0.7 lg 17a-ethinylestradiol (EE2)/l for 100 d (Watts et al 2002). A recent study on the xenoestrogen bisphenol A could not exclude hormone action of this compound to Gammarus fossarum (Schirling et al 2006). The field relevance of possible sex steroid mediated action on crustaceans is even more unclear.…”

Vitellogenin-like gene expression in freshwater amphipod Gammarus fossarum (Koch, 1835): functional characterization in females and potential for use as an endocrine disruption biomarker in males

“…Some papers have shown the deleterious effects of vertebrate EDs and growth regulator insecticides on the reproduction rate, sexual behaviour and sexual development of crustaceans (e.g. Baldwin et al 1995;Gross et al 2001;Olmstead and LeBlanc 2001;Schirling et al 2006;Watts et al 2001;Linton et al 2009). Although changes in these endpoints may indicate a response to ED exposure, they can also vary in response to a wide range of other factors such as food supplies, parasite occurrence and/or other environmental conditions.…”

SchussenAktivplus: reduction of micropollutants and of potentially pathogenic bacteria for further water quality improvement of the river Schussen, a tributary of Lake Constance, Germany

“…In vivo, cytotoxicity reflected by impaired tissue integrity is studied at the University of Tuebingen in feral fish (chub and spirlin) and gammarids, as well as in trout and gammarids exposed to the river water in the bypass-systems at the Schussen and Argen. In fish, the health status of liver, kidney, and gills and, in gammarids, the integrity of the hepatopancreas is described and semi-quantitatively assessed by means of a fivescaled classification protocol [25,26]. In addition, the degree of parasitic infestation is determined in fish and gammarids.…”