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Metabolomics for in situ environmental monitoring of surface waters impacted by contaminants from both point and non-point sources
Citation:
Skelton, D., D. Ekman, D. Martinovic-Weigelt, G. Ankley, Dan Villeneuve, Q. Teng, AND Tim Collette. Metabolomics for in situ environmental monitoring of surface waters impacted by contaminants from both point and non-point sources. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, , online, (2013).
Impact/Purpose:
Journal article published in Environmental Science and Technology
Description:
We investigated the efficacy of metabolomics for field-monitoring of fish exposed to waste water treatment plant (WWTP) effluents and non-point sources of chemical contamination. Lab-reared male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas, FHM) were held in mobile monitoring units and exposed on-location to surface waters upstream and downstream of the effluent point source, as well as to the actual effluent at three different WWTP sites in Minnesota. After four days of exposure, livers were collected, extracted, and analyzed by 1H-NMR spectroscopy and GC-MS to characterize responses of the hepatic metabolome. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed distinct metabolite profile changes in response to effluent exposure from each of the three WWTPs. Differences among locations (i.e., upstream, downstream, and effluent) within each of the three sites were also identified. These observed differences comport with land-use and WWTP characteristics at the study sites. For example, at one of the sites, the metabolomic analyses suggested a positive interactive response from exposure to WWTP effluent and nearby non-point (likely agricultural related) contamination. These findings demonstrate the utility of metabolomics as a field-based technique for monitoring the exposure of fish to impacted surface waters.
