Glutathione-S-transferase in Nereis succinea (Polychaeta) and its induction by xeno-estrogen

The need to replace or at least to reduce the use of vertebrates in toxicity tests is a timely major concern in research and industry but to date, efforts made to minimize their use are still far from complete. Increasing demands for toxicity tests put considerable pressures upon the development of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental toxicology 2011-10, Vol.26 (5), p.559-565
Main Authors: Ayoola, James A. O., García-Alonso, Javier, Hardege, Jörg D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biomarkers - metabolism
Estrogens - pharmacology
Female
Glutathione Transferase - metabolism
GST
Male
Nereis succinea
nonylphenol
Phenols - pharmacology
Polychaeta
Polychaeta - drug effects
Polychaeta - enzymology
polychaetes
stress exposure
Water Pollutants, Chemical - pharmacology
Xenobiotics - pharmacology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The need to replace or at least to reduce the use of vertebrates in toxicity tests is a timely major concern in research and industry but to date, efforts made to minimize their use are still far from complete. Increasing demands for toxicity tests put considerable pressures upon the development of future fast and efficient test methods using invertebrates. In fact, to date, few studies provide links between biochemical and cellular effects of xeno‐estrogens in aquatic invertebrates. Glutathione‐S‐transferase (GST) activity, as a biomarker of stress exposure, was measured in the population of clamworms (Nereis succinea) from Cardiff Bay. In addition, we examined the effect of single exposure to nonylphenol (NP) on this enzymatic activity. Field study results showed a relationship between the worm's size, reproductive status, and GST activity from the field population. In addition, we show a significant increase in the GST activity at 100 μg/L NP with sex‐specific responses. The xeno‐estrogens, which could affect reproduction of nereid by interfering in normal endocrinological pathways, are eliminated through GST by conjugation with glutathione. This work shows for the first time that GST activity depends on sex and stage of the clamworms and also that the xeno‐estrogen NP induces its activity. This study supports the use of this species as a bioindicator of aquatic pollution and lays the foundation to causally link toxic exposure with reproductive output. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2010.
ISSN:1520-4081
1522-7278
1522-7278
DOI:10.1002/tox.20580