Effects on Guppy brain aromatase activity following short-term steroid and 4-Nonyl phenol exposures

• Brain oestrogen production, performed by the enzyme aromatase, can be disrupted/affected in teleost fish exposed to endocrine disruptors found in polluted aquatic environments. The guppy (Poecilia reticulata) was previously studied and confirmed to suffer negative effects on reproductive behaviours following inhibition of the brain aromatase reaction. Here Adult guppies (Poecilia reticulata) of both genders were subjected to known endocrine disruptors: the androgen androstenedione (A), the synthetic oestrogen 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) and the oestrogenic surfactant 4-nonylphenol (NP), at high (50 μg/L) and at environmentally relevant concentrations (10 ng/L EE2, 5 μg/L NP and 0.7 μg/L A) for two weeks followed by measurements of brain aromatase activity (bAA). In the adult males, bAA was stimulated by A and EE2 at 50 μg/L. Female activity was also stimulated by the higher oestrogenic treatment. At environmentally relevant concentrations only the EE2 treatment affected bAA, and only in males. The alkylphenolic substance NP produced no effect in either of the experiments, not on males nor females. The results indicate that short-term steroid treatments have stimulatory effects on guppy brain aromatase even at concentrations that can be found in the environment. We thus suggest bAA of adult guppies to be a suitable bioindicator of endocrine disruptors.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Zoologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Zoology (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Teleost brain

endocrine disruption

bio-indicator

17α-ethynylestradiol

androstenedione

Animal physiology

Zoofysiologi

funktionell morfologi

Functional Zoomorphology

ekotoxikologi

Ecotoxicology

NATURAL SCIENCES

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