Estrogenic and CYP1A response of mummichogs and sunshine bass to sewage effluent

Recent studies demonstrating feminization of effluent-exposed wild-caught male fish in the UK have prompted much research regarding the estrogenic activity of effluent from municipal sewage treatment plants (MSTPs). To investigate the estrogenicity and cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) induction potency of MSTP effluent, two species of fish, adult male mummichogs, Fundulus heteroclitus, and juvenile sunshine bass, Morone saxatilis x Morone chrysops, were exposed to un-chlorinated effluent (75% effluent, 25% seawater) from a large MSTP in Yonkers, NY, USA.

After a 21-day static-daily (75%) renewal exposure, significant elevations over controls were observed in levels of vitellogenin (VtG) in plasma (1730%) and liver (131%) in effluent-exposed sunshine bass. In contrast, hepatic VtG was not elevated in mummichogs; plasma VtG was not measured in this species.

Effluent exposure elevated hepatic CYP1A protein (140-145%) and ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity (408-598%) in both species. These findings suggest ontogenetic and/or species differences in response to estrogenic compounds in MSTP effluent. Furthermore, the elevation of CYP1A in response to sewage effluent exposure indicates the presence of additional compounds that may alter xenobiotic and/or steroid biotransformation in fish.