title: May sediment contamination be xenoestrogenic to benthic fish? A case study with Solea senegalensis.
abstract: Within an environmental risk assessment framework of a moderately contaminated estuary (the Sado, SW Portugal), the present work intended to detect endocrine disruption in a flatfish, Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858, and its potential relationship to organic toxicants. Animals were collected from two distinct areas in the estuary (industrial and rural) and from an external reference area. Hepatic vitellogenin (VTG) levels, cytochrome P450 (CYP1A) induction, ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity plus gonad histology were analysed. Males and females were sexually immature and showed no significant evidence of degenerative pathologies. However, hepatic VTG concentrations in males from the industrial area were higher than Reference, even reaching levels comparable to females, indicating low but measurable oestrogenic effects caused by the complex contaminant mixture in estuarine sediments. These individuals also presented elevated CYP1A induction and EROD activity, which is consistent with contamination by organic toxicants such as PAHs and other aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr) -mediated toxicants.
authors.affiliation: IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Cátia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; IPMA - Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, Avenida do Brasil, 1449-006 Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Mário S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Diniz
authors.affiliation: IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Maria H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; Departamento de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Aberta, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 141, 1269-001 Lisboa, Portugal; CENSE - Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caeiro
authors.affiliation: IMAR - Instituto do Mar, Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal. Electronic address: pmcosta@fct.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Pedro M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Costa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019363:Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 / Q000378:metabolism; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D063366:Estuaries; D005260:Female; D005412:Flatfishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D006066:Gonads / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011174:Portugal; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014819:Vitellogenins / Q000378:metabolism; D015262:Xenobiotics / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D004967:Estrogens; D014819:Vitellogenins; D015262:Xenobiotics; D019363:Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1
keywords: CYP1A; EDCs; EROD; Flatfish; Mixtures; Pollution monitoring; Vitellogenin