Citation:

WILSON, V. S., C. R. LAMBRIGHT, K. L. BOBSEINE, P. C. HARTIG, E. DURHAM, G. T. ANKLEY, P. SORENSEN, D. MATINOVIC, AND L. E. GRAY. IN VITRO IDENTIFICATION OF ANDROGENIC AND ESTROGENIC ACTIVITY FROM CONCENTRATED ANIMAL FEEDLOT OPERATIONS (CAFO) AND TERTIARY-TREATED SEWAGE EFFLUENT SAMPLES. Presented at Society for the Study of Reproduction, Omaha, NE, July 29 - August 01, 2006.

Description:

Fish living in ecosystems contaminated with human or domestic animal effluents have been shown to display reproductive alterations. Recent research with effluent from cattle feeding operations in the US, for example, have associated morphological alterations in fish collected from the field with in vitro androgenic activity in water samples from affected sites, but it is unclear what specific compounds may be responsible for this activity. Identification of every compound in the sample through traditional analytical methods followed by individual testing would be cost prohibitive. This project used several in vitro assays, including in vitro transcriptional activation and receptor binding assays developed in our lab, for screening of effluent samples for estrogenic and androgenic activity. Using these assays, we have identified androgenic activity, approximately equal to 1 nM DHT, in CAFO effluent samples. Once androgen-active samples were identified, the same in vitro assays were used in a bioassay-directed analytical fractionation process to identify some of the individual components potentially responsible for the androgenic activity. Using HPLC and GC-MS analysis, CAFO samples with androgenic activity were shown to contain ¿- and ¿-trenbolone at concentrations up to 10 to 20 ng/L. Both of these compounds are potent androgens metabolized from trenbolone acetate used as a growth promoter in cattle. Cell based assays were also used to identify estrogenic activity from tertiary-treated sewage effluent samples. Estrogenic activity in these effluent samples was equivalent to about 1 nM estradiol. No androgenic activity was detected. Sewage effluent samples collected from this site have been experimentally associated with estrogenic effects in fish. This presentation will provide an integrated overview of these studies. Detection of endocrine activity in these types of samples is increasing, but much work is needed to identify the fate and/or effects of parent materials or metabolites which may enter aquatic environments via point (effluent) or non-point (agricultural run-off) sources.

Disclaimer: This abstract does not necessarily reflect US EPA policy.

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