title: Co-occurrence of estrogenic and antiestrogenic activities in wastewater: quantitative evaluation of balance by in vitro ERα reporter gene assay and chemical analysis.
abstract: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are exogenous substances that alter the function of the endocrine system, with adverse health effects on organisms or their progeny. In vitro estrogen receptor (ER) reporter gene assays have long been used to measure estrogenic activity in wastewater. Nevertheless, there is still uncertainty about their usefulness in environmental monitoring on account of a discrepancy between the estrogenic response of the in vitro assay and concentrations of estrogenic compounds determined by chemical analysis. Here, we measured estrogenic and antiestrogenic activities in wastewater by ERα reporter gene assay. All samples were simultaneously analyzed for estrone, 17β-estradiol, estriol, and 17α-ethynylestradiol, and the concentrations were used to predict estrogenic activity. All samples in which measured estrogenic activity was significantly lower than predicted showed strong antiestrogenic activity. In addition, we confirmed that the fraction that did not have antiestrogenic activity showed stronger estrogenic activity than the unfractionated wastewater extract. These results indicate that antiestrogenic compounds in wastewater suppress the activity of natural estrogens, and the reporter gene assay represents the net activity.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Environmental Quality Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University , 1-2 Yumihama, Otsu, Shiga 520-0811, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ihara
authors.forename: Mariko O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Ihara
authors.forename: Vimal
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Narumiya
authors.forename: Seiya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hanamoto
authors.forename: Norihide
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakada
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyagawa
authors.forename: Taisen
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iguchi
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D045166:Estradiol Congeners / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000235:genetics*; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D009990:Oryzias; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D045166:Estradiol Congeners; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical