title: A potential biomarker of androgen exposure in European bullhead (Cottus sp.) kidney.
abstract: The aim of this study was to identify a signal that could be used as an androgen exposure indicator in the European bullhead (Cottus sp.). For this purpose, the ultra-structure of the kidney was characterized to identify normal structure of this organ, and histological changes previously described in the kidney of breeding male bullheads were quantified using the kidney epithelium height (KEH) assay previously developed and validated for the stickleback. In the next step, the effect of trenbolone acetate (TbA), a model androgen, was assessed to identify potential androgenic regulation of bullhead kidney hypertrophy. Measurement of KEH performed on adult non-breeding male and female bullheads exposed for 14 and 21 days to 0, 1.26 and 6.50 μg/L showed that kidney hypertrophy is induced in a dose-dependent manner, confirming the hypothesis that the European bullhead possesses a potential biomarker of androgen exposure. Combined with the wide distribution of the European bullhead in European countries and the potential of this fish species for environmental toxicology studies in field and laboratory conditions, the hypothesis of a potential biomarker of androgen exposure offers interesting perspectives for the use of the bullhead as a relevant sentinel fish species in monitoring studies. Inducibility was observed with high exposure concentrations of TbA. Further studies are needed to identify molecular signals that could be more sensitive than KEH.
authors.affiliation: Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des Risques, Unité d'Écotoxicologie in vitro et in vivo, BP2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte, France.
authors.forename: Mélanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Villeret
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jolly
authors.forename: Laure
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wiest
authors.forename: Emmanuelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vulliet
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bado-Nilles
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Porcher
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Betoulle
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Minier
authors.forename: Wilfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sanchez
mesh_terms: D000728:Androgens / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D004848:Epithelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006984:Hypertrophy / Q000139:chemically induced; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D014204:Trenbolone Acetate
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D015415:Biomarkers; D014204:Trenbolone Acetate