title: Contribution of priority PAHs and POPs to Ah receptor-mediated activities in sediment samples from the River Elbe Estuary, Germany.
abstract: The estuary of the River Elbe between Hamburg and the North Sea (Germany) is a sink for contaminated sediment and suspended particulate matter (SPM). One major concern is the effect of human activities on the hydrodynamics, particularly the intensive dredging activities in this area that may result in remobilization of sediment-bound pollutants. The aim of this study was to identify pollutants contributing to the toxicological risk associated with re-suspension of sediments in the Elbe Estuary by use of an effect-directed analysis that combines chemical and biological analyses in with specific fractionation techniques. Sediments were collected from sites along the Elbe Estuary and a site from a small harbor basin of the Elbe Estuary that is known to be polluted. The sixteen priority EPA-PAHs were quantified in organic extracts of sediments. In addition, dioxin equivalents of sediments were investigated by use of the 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase assay with RTL-W1 cells and the Ah receptor-mediated luciferase transactivation assay with H4IIE-luc cells. Quantification of the 16 priority PAHs revealed that sediments were moderately contaminated at all of the sites in the Elbe River Estuary (<0.02-0.906 µg/g dw). Sediments contained relatively small concentrations of dioxin equivalents (Bio-TEQ) with concentrations ranging from 15.5 to 322 pg/g dw, which were significantly correlated with dioxin equivalents calculated based on toxicity reference values and concentrations of PAH. The concentration of Bio-TEQ at the reference site exceeded 200,000 pg/g dw. In a potency balance the 16 PAHs explained between 47 and 118% of the Bio-TEQ in the luciferase assay, which can be explained by the constant input of PAHs bound to SPM from the upper course of the Elbe River into its estuary. Successful identification of a significant portion of dioxin-like activity to priority PAHs in complex environmental samples such as sediments has rarely been reported.
authors.affiliation: KIT - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Otte
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Keiter
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Faßbender
authors.forename: Eric B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Higley
authors.forename: Paula Suares
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brinkmann
authors.forename: Dierk-Steffen
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Wahrendorf
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Manz
authors.forename: Markus A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Wetzel
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Braunbeck
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Giesy
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hecker
authors.forename: Henner
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hollert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D002460:Cell Line; D019363:Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 / Q000378:metabolism; D004147:Dioxins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity*; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D063366:Estuaries; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D005858:Germany; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008156:Luciferases / Q000378:metabolism; D017686:Oncorhynchus mykiss; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000737:chemistry; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon / Q000378:metabolism*; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004147:Dioxins; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon; D008156:Luciferases; D019363:Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1