Reconnaissance of dioxin-like and estrogen-like toxicities in sediments of Taean, Korea-seven years after the Hebei Spirit oil spill.
Oil spills near the coastlines may damage marine and intertidal ecosystem. Constituents of the oil have been reported to cause toxic consequences mediated by aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), and estrogen receptor (ER). In the present study, AhR- and ER-mediated toxicities of coastal sediments of Taean were investigated seven years after Hebei Spirit oil spill (HSOS). Sediment samples were collected on June and October 2014 from seven locations along the Taean coastline, where signs of oil spill were detected. Sediment samples were extracted in Soxhlet extractors and further processed through activated silica gels to separate into four fractions; F1 (saturate hydrocarbons), F2 (aromatic hydrocarbons), F3 (resins and polar compounds), and F4 (residues). ER-mediated and AhR-mediated potencies (% E2maxand % TCDDmax) of each fraction were determined using MVLN cells and H4IIE-luc cells, respectively. F2 and F3 fractions of Sinduri 1, Sinduri 2, and Sogeunri 1 samples showed greater AhR-mediated potencies (up to 107% TCDDmax). Chemical analysis revealed that PAH components are correlated with AhR-binding activities. The % E2maxresults varied by sample: While there was no noticeable induction of ER-dependent responses (<45%), some aromatics fractions (F2) exhibited the highest ER-mediated responses. Compared with previous reports from the same sites, both AhR-mediated and ER-mediated potencies have decreased over time. Nevertheless, AhR-mediated potencies could be identified in the environmental samples even after 7 years of the incident. Therefore, possible ecosystem implications of these findings should be further investigated.
School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea; CRI Global Institute of Toxicology, Croen Inc., Suwon, 16614, Republic of Korea.
Cheolmin
C
Kim
School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
Inae
I
Lee
School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea; Korea Environment Institute, Sejong, 30147, Republic of Korea.
Dawoon
D
Jung
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences & Research Institute of Oceanography, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
Seongjin
S
Hong
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences & Research Institute of Oceanography, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
Jong Seong
JS
Khim
Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences & Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
John P
JP
Giesy
Oil and POPs Research Group, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Geoje, 53201, Republic of Korea.
Un Hyuk
UH
Yim
Oil and POPs Research Group, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Geoje, 53201, Republic of Korea.
Won Joon
WJ
Shim
School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: kyungho@snu.ac.kr.
Kyungho
K
Choi
D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004147:Dioxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000633:toxicity*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000633:toxicity*; D059392:Petroleum Pollution; D051381:Rats; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon / Q000378:metabolism; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D056910:Republic of Korea
D004147:Dioxins; D004967:Estrogens; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D018336:Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen
AhR; ER; Effect directed analysis; Hebei Spirit oil spill; Sediment