"The use of vitellogenin and vitelline envelope proteins as useful biomarkers of xenoestrogen exposure in the cichlid fish Cichlasoma dimerus (Teleostei, Perciformes)."

G. GENOVESE; R. DA CUÑA; F. LO NOSTRO; G. REY VAZQUEZ; M. C. MAGGESE

San Diego, California, USA

Congreso; International Union of Physiological Societies IUPS -Experimental Biology; 2005

An increasing number of widely used industrial and agricultural chemicals mimic female hormones and can cause endocrine disruption. In fishes, xenoestrogens can cause male feminization, induce vitellogenin (VTG), and vitelline envelope proteins (VEP), develop of an ovarian cavity and oocytes in testis, etc. We analysed the effect of an acute exposure (2 wk) of adult male fish to estradiol (E2) and octylphenol (OP; biodegradation product of non-ionic surfactants used in detergents, paints, pesticides). E2 and OP were i.p. injected at 10 and 50 µg/g bw, respectively, according to previous results. Blood and surface mucus samples were taken on days 0, 3, 6, 9 and 13. At the end of the experiment, fish were sacrificed; hepatopancreas and gonads were processed for histology, which showed marked alterations in the morphology and cytology only in male treated fish. When heterologous antisera were used for Western and dot blot analysis, plasma and mucus revealed the presence of VTG and VEP, detected at day 3 and thereafter. This is the first report on a South American fresh water cichlid fish about the effects of xenoestrogen in the VTG/VEP expression; supporting the possibility of using their detection from mucus samples as a useful, easy and noninvasive assay. This could also contribute to the conservation of native species with economic and/or ecological value. This work was supported by UBACyT X118 & PICT2003 14271.