title: Effect-Directed Analysis of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Agonists in Sediments from the Three Gorges Reservoir, China.
abstract: The construction of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) in the Yangtze River raises great concern in ecotoxicological research since large amounts of pollutants enter the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) water bodies after TGD impoundment. In this work, effect-directed analysis (EDA), combining effect assessment, fractionation procedure, and target and nontarget analyses, was used to characterize aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists in sediments of the TGR. Priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) containing four to five aromatic rings were found to contribute significantly to the overall observed effects in the area of Chongqing. The relatively high potency fractions in the Kaixian area were characterized by PAHs and methylated derivatives thereof and heterocyclic polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) such as dinaphthofurans. Benzothiazole and derivatives were identified as possible AhR agonists in the Kaixian area based on nontarget liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). To our knowledge, this study is the first one applying the EDA approach and identifying potential AhR agonists in TGR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University , Aachen 52074, Germany.
authors.forename: Hongxia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ , Leipzig 04318, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krauss
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University , Aachen 52074, Germany.
authors.forename: Tilman
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Floehr
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University , Aachen 52074, Germany.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ , Leipzig 04318, Germany.
authors.forename: Arnold
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bahlmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University , Aachen 52074, Germany.
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eichbaum
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University , Aachen 52074, Germany.|School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon S7N 5B3, Canada.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brinkmann
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University , Nanjing 210046, China.
authors.forename: Xiaowei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Resources and Environmental Science, Chongqing University , Chongqing 400030, China.
authors.forename: Xingzhong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University , Aachen 52074, Germany.|Department of Effect-Directed Analysis, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ , Leipzig 04318, Germany.
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Brack
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research, ABBt - Aachen Biology and Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University , Aachen 52074, Germany.|State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University , Nanjing 210046, China.|College of Resources and Environmental Science, Chongqing University , Chongqing 400030, China.|Key Laboratory of Yangtze Water Environment, Ministry of Education, Tongji University , Shanghai 200092, China.
authors.forename: Henner
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hollert