title: In vivo and In vitro neurochemical-based assessments of wastewater effluents from the Maumee River area of concern.
abstract: Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents contain potentially neuroactive chemicals though few methods are available to screen for the presence of such agents. Here, two parallel approaches (in vivo and in vitro) were used to assess WWTP exposure-related changes to neurochemistry. First, fathead minnows (FHM, Pimephales promelas) were caged for four days along a WWTP discharge zone into the Maumee River (Ohio, USA). Grab water samples were collected and extracts obtained for the detection of alkylphenols, bisphenol A (BPA) and steroid hormones. Second, the extracts were then used as a source of in vitro exposure to brain tissues from FHM and four additional species relevant to the Great Lakes ecosystem (rainbow trout (RT), river otter (RO), bald eagle (BE) and human (HU)). The ability of the wastewater (in vivo) or extracts (in vitro) to interact with enzymes (monoamine oxidase (MAO) and glutamine synthetase (GS)) and receptors (dopamine (D2) and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA)) involved in dopamine and glutamate-dependent neurotransmission were examined on brain homogenates. In vivo exposure of FHM led to significant decreases of NMDA receptor binding in females (24-42%), and increases of MAO activity in males (2.8- to 3.2-fold). In vitro, alkylphenol-targeted extracts significantly inhibited D2 (66% in FHM) and NMDA (24-54% in HU and RT) receptor binding, and induced MAO activity in RT, RO, and BE brains. Steroid hormone-targeted extracts inhibited GS activity in all species except FHM. BPA-targeted extracts caused a MAO inhibition in FHM, RT and BE brains. Using both in vivo and in vitro approaches, this study shows that WWTP effluents contain agents that can interact with neurochemicals important in reproduction and other neurological functions. Additional work is needed to better resolve in vitro to in vivo extrapolations (IVIVE) as well as cross-species differences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Adeline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arini
authors.affiliation: ORISE Research Participation Program, U.S. EPA Mid-Continent Ecology Division, Duluth, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Jenna E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Cavallin
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Jason P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Berninger
authors.affiliation: American Water, Innovation and Environmental Stewardship, Belleville, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marfil-Vega
authors.affiliation: U.S. EPA National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, USA.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.affiliation: U.S. EPA Mid-Continent Ecology Division, Duluth, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Villeneuve
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. Electronic address: nialdri.basu@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Niladri
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Basu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D003530:Cyprinidae / Q000378:metabolism; D020307:Eagles / Q000378:metabolism; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006114:Great Lakes Region; D060106:Lakes; D008297:Male; D009820:Ohio; D010041:Otters / Q000378:metabolism; D010636:Phenols; D012098:Reproduction; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
chemical_list: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D010636:Phenols; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C006780:bisphenol A; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
keywords: Dopamine; GABA; In vitro cell-free assay; Neurochemistry; Wastewater