临界期双酚A暴露对中枢神经系统神经细胞的影响

双酚A(bisphenol A,BPA)是一种代表性的环境雌激素,其广泛使用所造成的严重危害越来越引起人们的关注。双酚A主要通过结合雌激素受体来干扰内源性雌激素的正常生理功能。大量研究结果表明,大脑发育关键期双酚A暴露不仅会影响神经干细胞的增殖,还会对其树突发育造成不可逆的危害;同时,在一定程度上影响少突胶质细胞、星型胶质细胞等神经胶质细胞的发育及功能。因此,深入探究临界期双酚A暴露对神经系统的影响及其具体的分子机制十分必要。     

环境中雌激素的微生物降解

环境中的雌激素是一类重要的环境内分泌干扰物,微生物降解是去除环境雌激素的主要途径。通过归纳已报道的雌激素降解细菌、总结其降解雌激素的机制、分析雌激素降解途径以及其他真核微生物的雌激素降解作用4个方面,概括阐述了雌激素的微生物降解作用,并对未来的研究方向提出展望。     

环境内分泌干扰物雌激素的微生物降解研究进展

雌激素是一类重要的环境内分泌干扰物。微生物降解是一种去除环境雌激素与进行环境修复的最绿色、环保、经济的方法。本文从分析雌激素的主要来源和危害、归纳国内外已报道的雌激素降解菌、总结雌激素降解的相关基因和组学研究进展、阐述雌激素的降解通路和降解机制这4个方面,概括阐述了环境雌激素的微生物降解作用,并对未来雌激素降解研究的主要内容与方向提出展望。     

环境雌激素的微生物代谢

环境雌激素作为一类重要的新型环境污染物,可通过干扰生物体的内分泌系统危害生物体健康。微生物降解是去除环境雌激素与进行环境修复的主要手段。本文归纳整理了目前研究较深入的雌激素降解微生物,类比阐述了其预测的降解通路与降解机制,并对后续环境雌激素降解研究的主要内容与方向进行了展望。     

畜禽养殖过程中雌激素的排放及其环境行为

由于存在广泛和较强的内分泌干扰性,环境雌激素越来越受到关注,其中人与动物排放的天然类固醇雌激素(雌酮、雌二醇和雌三醇)具有最强的干扰性。综述了畜禽养殖过程中天然雌激素的排放、危害以及其物化性质,并结合国内外近期研究阐明了天然雌激素的吸附、降解和迁移转化等环境行为。在目前雌激素研究现状的基础上,对未来的研究方向及目标提出了建议。     

雌激素受体在小鼠睾丸表达的免疫组织化学研究

观察雌激素受体在小鼠睾丸的定位与分布。取Ａ／Ｊ系小鼠睾丸, 制备石蜡切片。用间接酶标免疫组织化学和高温处理抗原暴露技术显示雌激素受体的所在部位。睾丸所有Ｌｅｙｄｉｇ 细胞和约２０％ 的肌样细胞的胞核呈雌激素受体阳性反应。睾丸支持细胞和生精细胞为阴性。本研究首次用免疫组织化学技术证明了睾丸中雌激素受体的存在,并定位于Ｌｅｙｄｉｇ 细胞和部分肌样细胞的胞核。为研究雌激素对雄性生殖功能的调节提供了形态学依据。     

环境雌激素的微生物降解

雌激素作为环境内分泌干扰物的一类重要物质,生物降解法是最为经济、最为绿色和最为适用的去除方法。通过分析雌激素的主要来源和危害、国内外雌激素降解菌的筛选与鉴定、类固醇雌激素降解酶的表达与检测、雌激素降解菌的基因组学特征以及雌激素的降解途径和机制,进一步阐述了雌激素生物降解的研究现状与进展,对未来的研究工作作出了展望。     

卵黄蛋白原1(vtg1)启动子调控绿色荧光蛋白表达的转基因斑马鱼的构建

环境雌激素严重危害人类的健康.为了简便直观地检测水环境中的雌激素污染,构建了一种转基因斑马鱼,在这种鱼的体内,利用卵黄蛋白原1(vitellogenin1,vtg1)的启动子调控报告基因绿色荧光蛋白(enhancedgreenfluorescentprotein,EGFP)的表达.用1ng/L的17!-炔雌醇(17"-ethynylestradiol,EE2)诱导4天后,仔鱼肝脏中出现绿色荧光.RT-PCR和整体原位杂交实验证实,仔鱼体内EGFP和vtg1的时空表达模式相同.通过在显微镜下观察转基因鱼的绿色荧光,可以直观判断水环境中是否含有雌激素活性物质.该研究为环境雌激素的监测提供了一种简便直观的新型工具.     

17β-雌二醇对雄性剑尾鱼生长发育的影响

用组织学的方法研究了50μg/L 17β-雌二醇(E2)持续50d暴露对剑尾鱼精巢、肝脏和鳃组织结构变化的影响,结果显示,剑尾鱼受E2暴露后,精巢内的精小囊数量减少,精原细胞发育停滞,精子数量稀少甚至没有;肝细胞胞质内出现脂肪空泡和脂肪沉积等脂肪肝症状;鳃丝和鳃小片出现不同程度的肿胀、增生、融合现象.结果表明,E2具强雌激素效应.对剑尾鱼精巢、肝脏和鳃组织的损伤具有时间效应,随着暴露时间延长其损伤更严重,但都在其耐受范围之内,未造成鱼体的死亡.精巢组织结构损伤可作为检测水环境雌激素污染生物标记.     

环境雌激素双酚A对脑和行为发育的影响

双酚A是一种具有代表性的环境内分泌干扰物, 其广泛使用引起的对人类和野生动物的危害不容忽视. 双酚A具有类雌激素和抗雌激素活性, 可与雌激素受体结合, 模拟或干扰体内雌激素的合成、代谢和活动, 从而影响机体的生理功能. 在脑发育过程中, 双酚A不仅影响脑内雌激素合成关键酶芳香化酶的表达和活性, 还可改变不同脑区雌激素受体(ERα和ERβ)的表达, 并因此放大或干扰雌激素对脑发育的调节作用. 经典的雌激素核受体机制和非基因组细胞信号系统均参与双酚A对脑发育的影响. 许多脑区特别是与行为相关的如下丘脑、脑干蓝斑、皮层和海马等脑区的结构、递质系统等发育受双酚A影响, 干扰其发育的性别分化, 并因此影响生殖行为、探究、焦虑和学习记忆等多种神经行为的性别分化. 双酚A影响脑发育的细胞、脑区和时间特异性, 以及对脑发育过程影响的动态变化, 使双酚A对脑发育的影响非常复杂. 发育中的脑对双酚A特别敏感, 低于环境排放安全标准剂量的双酚A已可影响脑和行为的发育. 因此, 双酚A环境排放安全标准的重新制定非常必要, 而对双酚A毒理学的进一步实验研究和流行病学研究将有助于其环境排放安全新标准的确定.     

Vitellogenin in rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus): identification and induction by waterborne diethylstilbestrol

Rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) is a tiny Chinese carp that has a short life cycle and is easily cultured in the laboratory. In this study, juvenile rare minnows were exposed to waterborne diethylstilbestrol (DES) at 0.05, 0.5 and 5 microg/l in laboratory aquaria. After exposure for 4, 8, 13 and 21 days, juvenile fish were collected and vitellogenin (Vtg) was measured in whole body homogenates. Native and SDS electrophoresis followed by Western blotting were performed for Vtg identification, and a non-competitive ELISA was developed. In the DES exposure groups (0.5 and 5 microg/l DES), Vtg appeared after 4 days, increased significantly after 8 days and reached a maximum on day 13. Further, a significant increase in the hepatosomatic index (HSI) was found in the 5 microg/l DES exposure group after 21 days. These results indicate that rare minnow provides a good model for assessing endocrine disruption by environmental estrogens.     

A model for environmental sex reversal in fish

A mathematical model is presented which combines genetic XX-female/XY-male sex determination with environmental pressure for phenotypic sex reversal. This may occur when fishes are exposed to endocrine disrupters, specifically masculinization by exposure to androgens and feminization by exposure to estrogens. A generic model is derived for the sex ratio in successive generations and three special cases, with chronic and constant pressure to sex reverse, are discussed in detail. These show that, with extreme environmental pressure to masculinize, the male genotype is at risk of dying out but with less extreme pressure, masculinization will not be detectable since the proportion of phenotypic males becomes one-half. With feminization at any pressure to sex reverse, the male and female genotypes will be maintained in a stable sex ratio in which the proportion of genotypic males exceeds one-half and is close to one-half if YY offspring (eggs) are not viable. In converse, the model is also applicable to the genetic ZZ-male/ZW-female system of sex determination in fish. At present suitable data are not available with which to validate the model, but proposals are made for relevant experimental studies.     

Understanding behavioral responses of fish to pheromones in natural freshwater environments

There is an abundance of experimental studies and reviews that describe odorant-mediated behaviors of fish in laboratory microcosms, but research in natural field conditions has received considerably less attention. Fish pheromone studies in laboratory settings can be highly productive and allow for controlled experimental designs; however, laboratory tanks and flumes often cannot replicate all the physical, physiological and social contexts associated with natural environments. Field experiments can be a critical step in affirming and enhancing understanding of laboratory discoveries and often implicate the ecological significance of pheromones employed by fishes. When findings from laboratory experiments have been further tested in field environments, often different and sometimes contradictory conclusions are found. Examples include studies of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) mating pheromones and fish alarm substances. Here, we review field research conducted on fish pheromones and alarm substances, highlighting the following topics: (1) contradictory results obtained in laboratory and field experiments, (2) how environmental context and physiological status influences behavior, (3) challenges and constraints of aquatic field research and (4) innovative techniques and experimental designs that advance understanding of fish chemical ecology through field research.     

Anchoring Ethinylestradiol Induced Gene Expression Changes with Testicular Morphology and Reproductive Function in the Medaka

Environmental estrogens are ubiquitous in the environment and can cause detrimental effects on male reproduction. In fish, a multitude of effects from environmental estrogens have been observed including altered courting behavior and fertility, sex reversal, and gonadal histopathology. However, few studies in fish assess the impacts of estrogenic exposure on a physiological endpoint, such as reproduction, as well as the associated morphologic response and underlying global gene expression changes. This study assessed the implications of a 14 day sub-chronic exposure of ethinylestradiol (EE2; 1.0 or 10.0 µg/L EE2) on male medaka fertility, testicular histology and testicular gene expression. The findings demonstrate that a 14 day exposure to EE2 induced impaired male reproductive capacity and time- and dose-dependent alterations in testicular morphology and gene expression. The average fertilization rate/day following the exposure for control, 1.0 and 10.0 µg/L EE2 was 91.3% (±4.4), 62.8% (±8.3) and 28.8% (±5.8), respectively. The testicular morphologic alterations included increased germ cell apoptosis, decreased germinal epithelium and thickening of the interstitium. These changes were highly associated with testicular gene expression changes using a medaka-specific microarray. A pathway analysis of the differentially expressed genes emphasized genes and pathways associated with apoptosis, cell cycle and proliferation, collagen production/extracellular matrix organization, hormone signaling, male reproduction and protein ubiquitination among others. These findings highlight the importance of anchoring global gonadal gene expression changes with morphology and ultimately with tissue/organ function.     

Exposure with the environmental estrogen bisphenol A disrupts the male reproductive tract in young mice

Environmental estrogens (endocrine disruptive chemicals) have been shown to affect reproduction in wild life and it has been reported that maternal exposure with those chemicals have adverse effects on the male reproductive tract. However, little is known about the potential effects of prepubertal or pubertal exposure with environmental estrogens on the male reproductive tract. Here we examine plasma hormone levels and histology in the testis of mice following either 4- or 8-week oral administration of bisphenol A. Plasma free testosterone levels were dramatically decreased following 8 weeks of bisphenol A treatment compared with control group and morphologically multinucleated giant cells having greater than three nuclei were found in seminiferous tubules in the testis following the 8-week bisphenol A treatment. No differences in plasma corticosterone and luteinizing hormone levels were seen between bisphenol A and control groups. Thus, exposure with bisphenol A around pubertal period may directly disrupt the male reproductive tract. These facts suggest that more detailed studies will warrant the assessment of the risk to the developing human testis from exposure to bisphenol A and other environmental estrogens in prepubertal and pubertal period.     

Hormone als Schadstoffe?

Environmental estrogens Endocrine disrupters are environmental substances which interfere with the hormone system of organisms and thereby induce adverse effects. They exert their biological activity either by disrupting hormone metabolism or by imitating the biological action of the endogenous hormones. In the aquatic environment, an important group of endocrine disrupters is represented by the estrogen‐active compounds, which mimic the female sex hormone, 17β‐estradiol. Both laboratory experiments and field studies on fishes have demonstrated that already very low concentrations of environmental estrogens are able to induce disturbances in the hormone system and hormone‐regulated processes of fishes.     

四湖总干渠环境雌激素不同浓度江段鱼繁殖生物学比较研究

选取湖北四湖总干渠污染水平不同的3个江段(A、B、C), A离源头较近, B位于一农药厂排污口下方, C位于一城镇居民排污口下方, 比较鱼繁殖群体的生物学特征。A江段水体中未检测出环境雌激素, 而B、C两江段主要含有壬基酚和双酚A, 两种污染物总浓度在20 μg/L左右。与A江段相比, B、C江段鱼繁殖群体中雌性个体的比例明显较高, 卵粒较小; 雄性个体精巢组织间隙增大, 精原细胞和精子细胞密度低; 肝体指数增大、肝组织出现大量空泡, 肝细胞密度降低等特点。壬基酚和双酚A已被证明具有显著的雌激素活性和生殖毒性。因此, B、C江段壬基酚和双酚A环境雌激素浓度较高可能是导致鱼繁殖群体生物学特征改变的重要原因。     

Field and laboratory investigations of the thermal influence on tissue-specific Hsp70 levels in common carp (Cyprinus carpio).

Thermal discharge from power stations can affect normal environmental conditions and change in heat shock proteins expression of native fish with increasing temperature. In this study, we investigated levels of Hsp70 in the heart, kidney, brain and gill of the common carp Cyprinus carpio both in long-term heat discharge environment and after 24 h acute heat shock exposure. In laboratory exposure experiments, fish acclimated at 10 degrees C were exposed to various elevated temperatures (20, 24 and 28 degrees C). Hsp70 concentrations were determined in tissues by Western blotting analysis after one dimensional SDS-PAGE separation. In the field study, the level of Hsp70 in the gill of the carp remained at control values, and Hsp70 expression in the heart, kidney and brain underwent a 2.8 to 3.7-fold increase. A lower thermal sensitivity of the Hsp70 response of the brain, compared with the heart, kidney and gill, was observed in the laboratory experiments. Our data show that these tissues had different levels of Hsp70 responses to thermal influence both in acute exposure and long-term acclimation. The pattern of tissue Hsp70 expression may have a close relationship with the thermal tolerance of the carp and allows the fish to survive long-term thermal pollution.     

Epidermal condition in post-spawned winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Walbaum), maintained in the laboratory and after exposure to crude petroleum

Skin samples were taken, during the post-spawning period, from Pseudopleuronectes americanus maintained in both stationary and in running-water systems, and after exposure to Venezuelan crude oil in each system. Comparisons with skin taken freshly from an inshore population revealed that dissociation of epidermal tissue, epidermal thinning and reduced epidermal melanophore frequency normally associated with the postspawning period were not so apparent after laboratory confinement and were even less pronounced after exposure to crude oil. In post-spawned, laboratory maintained flounders, there was also correlation between epidermal thickness and the weight of the fish. Indications from the stationary system suggest that stress associated with environmental conditions may evoke mucigenesis in the superficial epidermal cells as distinct from the goblet cells.