Influence of 17β-estradiol binding by dissolved organic matter isolated from wastewater effluent on estrogenic activity

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety 2011-07, Vol.74 (5), p.1280-1287
• Main Authors: Lee, Jiho, Cho, Jaeweon, Kim, Sang H., Kim, Sang D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 17β-Estradiol (E2); Adsorption; Affinity; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Applied sciences; Benzopyrans - chemistry; Binding; bioassays; Biological and medical sciences; Dissolved organic matter; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effluent dissolved organic matter; Effluents; Estradiol - chemistry; Estradiol - toxicity; estrogenic properties; Estrogenicity; Estrogens - chemistry; Estrogens - toxicity; Exact sciences and technology; Fluorescence; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; hydrophobicity; Pollution; Quenching; Sorption; Tannins - chemistry; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Waste water; wastewater; Wastewaters; Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Water treatment and pollution
• ISSN: 0147-6513; 1090-2414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2011.02.010

The aims of this study were to determine the sorption coefficient (Log K DOC) of 17β-estradiol (E2), according to the size and composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) isolated from wastewater effluent using a fluorescence quenching (FQ) method, and to measure the estrogenic changes due to the extent of E2 sorption onto effluent DOM (EfOM) by using an E-screen bioassay. The highest log K DOC of E2 for a DOM size fraction less than 0.2 μm was observed by 4.87±1.87 L kg −1 DOC, and its estrogenicity was the lowest among all the size fractions at 1.2 ng-EEQ L −1. However, E2 estrogenicity for a DOM size fraction less than 5 kDa was as high as that for the positive control due to the absence of fulvic acid- and protein-like DOM to bind with E2. The estrogenic activity for the hydrophobic fraction bound with E2 was significantly reduced to 1.6 ng-EEQ L −1, while that for the hydrophilic fraction having no binding with E2 was 2.6 ng-EEQ L −1, which was similar to that of the positive control (i.e., 2.8 ng-EEQ L −1). The results support a conclusion that the change in estrogenicity was due to the strong sorption affinity of E2 onto DOM.