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NMR-based Metabolomics for Studying Toxicity, Compensation, and Recovery in Small Fish Exposed to EDCs
Citation:
EKMAN, D. R., T. W. COLLETTE, Q. TENG, G. T. ANKLEY, E. J. DURHAN, K. M. JENSEN, M. D. KAHL, D. MARTINOVIC, AND D. L. VILLENEUVE. NMR-based Metabolomics for Studying Toxicity, Compensation, and Recovery in Small Fish Exposed to EDCs. Presented at 35th Annual Aquatic Toxicity Workshop, Saskatoon, SK, CANADA, October 05 - 08, 2008.
Impact/Purpose:
The mission of the ERD Metabolomics Team is to study the impact of stressors on various species using NMR and other advanced analytical approaches to characterize changes in endogenous metabolites. The main focus is to define responses in ecologically-relevant organisms (e.g., small fish) upon exposure to potentially toxic xenobiotic chemicals.
Description:
Determining the impact(s) on fish and other aquatic organisms of exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) is critical for determining the risks that these chemicals pose. However, to accurately evaluate these risks, beyond simply measuring a “before and after exposure” snapshot, researchers must assess the ability of the exposed organisms to adapt to, or compensate for the presence of these compounds. The extent of true harm from sub-lethal exposure is often a complex relationship of both time and chemical concentration. Due to the large number of samples required to map this complex response profile, a robust molecular technique with low per-sample cost of analysis is desirable. In response to this need, we have employed a metabolomics approach for studying these responses in small-fish toxicity models (e.g., fathead minnow) using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. This approach provides the ability to measure molecular responses in different tissue and biofluid types, both rapidly and inexpensively, making it ideal for this application. Using this approach, we have been able to observe apparent compensatory responses to the presence of EDCs over the duration of an exposure. Furthermore, it appears that after the chemical has been removed from the water (i.e. during a depuration phase) that fish are able in some cases to return to a near “pre-exposure” state, providing evidence of partial recovery. These results demonstrate the potential of this approach for improving the assessment of risk(s) that various EDCs pose to sentinel small-fish species.