Biological Analysis of Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds in Tunisian Sewage Treatment Plants

• Published in: Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology 2010-07, Vol.59 (1), p.1-12
• Main Authors: Mnif, Wissem, Dagnino, Sonia, Escande, Aurélie, Pillon, Arnaud, Fenet, Hélène, Gomez, Elena, Casellas, Claude, Duchesne, Marie-Josèphe, Hernandez-Raquet, Guillermina, Cavaillès, Vincent, Balaguer, Patrick, Bartegi, Aghleb
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Affinity; Androgens; Androgens - analysis; Androgens - toxicity; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Aromatic compounds; Bioassays; Biological analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Breast cancer; Chemical analysis; Chemical oxygen demand; Cloning; Competition; Dioxins; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effluents; Endocrine Disruptors - analysis; Endocrine Disruptors - toxicity; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Engineering; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Sciences; Environmental testing; Estrogens; Estrogens - analysis; Estrogens - toxicity; Experiments; Formicidae; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Glucocorticoids - analysis; Hormones; Hydrocarbons; Life Sciences; Ligands; Mineralocorticoids - analysis; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Particulate matter; PCB; Plants (organisms); Pollutants; Pollution; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Progesterone - analysis; Receptors; Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon - analysis; Receptors, Steroid - analysis; Recombinant; Sewage - chemistry; Sewage treatment; Sewage treatment plants; Sludge; Soil Science & Conservation; Studies; Toxicology; Tunisia; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Wastewater treatment plants; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Water pollution; Water treatment
• ISSN: 0090-4341; 1432-0703
• DOI: 10.1007/s00244-009-9438-0

Endocrin-disrupting compounds (EDCs) are frequently found in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). So far, research has been mainly focused on the detection of estrogenic compounds and very little work has been carried out on other receptors activators. In this study, we used reporter cell lines, which allow detecting the activity of estrogen (ERα), androgen (AR), pregnane X (PXR), glucocorticoid (GR), progesterone (PR), mineralocorticoid (MR), and aryl hydrocarbon (AhR) receptors, to characterise the endocrine-disrupting profile of the aqueous, suspended particulate matter, and sludge fractions from three Tunisian WWTPs. The aqueous fraction exhibited estrogenic and androgenic activities. Suspended particulate matter and sludge extracts showed estrogenic, aryl hydrocarbon and pregnane X receptor activities. No GR, MR, or PR (ant) agonistic activity was detected in the samples, suggesting that environmental compounds present in sewage might have a limited spectrum of activity. By performing competition experiments with recombinant ERα, we demonstrated that the estrogenic activity detected in the aqueous fraction was due to EDCs with a strong affinity for ERα. Conversely, in the sludge fraction, it was linked to the presence of EDCs with weak affinity. Moreover, by using different incubation times, we determined that the EDCs present in suspended particulate matter and sludge, which can activate AhR, are metabolically labile compounds. Finally, we showed in this study that environmental compounds are mainly ER, AR, PXR, and AhR activators. Concerning AR and PXR ligands, we do not to know the nature of the molecules. Concerning ER and AhR compounds, competition experiments with recombinant receptor and analysis at different times of exposure of the AhR activation gave some indications of the compound's nature that need to be confirmed by chemical analysis.