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Study on Environmental Estrogen Pollution in Yangtze River (Nanjing Section) by an In Vivo Bioassay

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Abstract

Estrogenic activities and main causative fractions in three representative sections of Yangtze River (Nanjing section) were determined. The results showed that significant vitellogenin (VTG) and 17β-estradiol (E2) induction and gonad atrophy were observed. Estradiol equivalents of actual water samples from Jiangxinzhou section, Sanchahe section and Daqiao section were 0.3651, 0.1301 and 0.5060 ng L−1, respectively. Polar contaminants were responsible for the estrogenic activities in Jiangxinzhou section and Daqiao section while mid-polar and nonpolar contaminants resulted in majority of the estrogenic activity in Sanchahe section. To Jiangxinzhou section, Sanchahe section and Daqiao section, good positive correlations between VTG and E2 (the correlation coefficients were 0.737, 0.690 and 0.817, respectively) and good inverse correlations between VTG and gonado-somatic index (GSI; the correlation coefficients were −0.838, −0.540 and −0.794, respectively) were obtained, whereas the correlations between E2 and GSI were relatively poor (the correlation coefficients were only −0.557, −0.620 and −0.509, respectively).

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by the Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (50830304), China’s National Basic Research Program (2008CB418203) and the Key Project of Chinese Ministry of Education (109076).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Integrated Regulation and Resources Development on Shallow Lakes of Ministry of Education of Hohai University, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hohai University, 210098, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China

    W. T. Song, G. H. Lu, C. Wang, H. Z. Zhang, S. Xu & J. Qin

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  1. W. T. Song
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  2. G. H. Lu
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  3. C. Wang
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  4. H. Z. Zhang
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  5. S. Xu
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  6. J. Qin
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Correspondence to G. H. Lu.

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Song, W.T., Lu, G.H., Wang, C. et al. Study on Environmental Estrogen Pollution in Yangtze River (Nanjing Section) by an In Vivo Bioassay. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 84, 406–412 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-010-9944-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-010-9944-9

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