Takigami, H.; Sato, M.; Sakai, S.; Tanabe, S.; Brouwer A. (2009) Organohalogen Compounds, 71: 000775-000777
The content of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in sediment gives a significant indication of the general exposure to aquatic organisms and use of these compounds on land. In this study, eleven surface sediments were collected from commercial and industrial marine harbors in Asia (mainly in Japan). A panel of cell based CALUX reporter gene bioassays was utilized to test stable fractions from sediments for aryl hydrocarbon (AhR), androgen (AR), estrogen (ER), thyroid hormone (TR), glucocorticoid (GR) and progesterone (PR) receptor mediated agonistic/antagonistic activities. Chemical analysis was also conducted to clarify the POPs profile of the sediments. The results of the bioassays indicated that all the sediments have AR antagonism and some sediments have AR agonism, ER agonism, TR agonism, and PR agonism/antagonism. In terms of AhR agonistic activity for the tested samples, the bioassay TCDD-equivalents were in good agreements with toxicity equivalent concentrations (TEQ) calculated using WHO-TEF values. Our findings support further investigation of the real endocrine-disrupting (ED) effects by POPs and identification of responsible compounds.