Survey of estrogenic contamination in the costal waters of East China Sea using grey mullet.

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

It is well known that endocrine and sexual disruptions in wild teleosts are induced by endocrine disrupting chemicals which have an estrogen-like function. However, the actualities of contamination by these substances in aquatic environment of coastal waters are not investigated well in Japan and East Asia. We carried out the monitoring of environmental estrogens in marine and estuarine areas using wild grey mullet (Mugil cephalus). In this research, we tried to determine the plasma concentrations of vitellogenin (VTG) which is the major yolk protein produced by the liver under the influence of estrogen. Moreover, we observed gonadal abnormalities using histological technique.VTG levels of grey mullets in the bay areas were significantly higher than the ones of fish collected in the open sea. In male and immature female fish of Tokyo Bay, Osaka Bay, Japan, VTG levels were the same as mature female fish. These areas are fed by a large amount of industrial and domestic sewage and effluent. VTG level is generally very low (<1μg/ml) in male and immature fish, because vitellogenic oocytes are not included in the gonad of these fish. These results indicate that VTG synthesis was induced by exogenous estrogen-like substance (environmental estrogen). VTG levels of the fish collected from South part of Korea were higher than another place of Korea.We will start the new survey of estrogenic contaminations in costal waters in the East China Sea with scientist of Korea and China. Moreover, we have a plan to construct the network of scientist for the research of endocrine disruption in East Asia.