P. Flammarion et al., Induction of fish vitellogenin and alterations in testicular structure: Preliminary results of estrogenic effects in chub (Leuciscus cephalus), ECOTOXICOL, 9(1-2), 2000, pp. 127-135
Laboratory and field studies were carried out in order to assess, in a comm
on cyprinid freshwater fish, the chub (Leuciscus cephalus), the feasibility
of biological methods to detect and quantify estrogenic effects. In the la
boratory the effects of 17beta estradiol were investigated on Vitellogenin
(Vtg) induction and on testis organisation. Vtg was quantified by immunodet
ection using an established ELISA for carp (Cyprinus carpio) Vtg. Estradiol
exposure resulted in a significant and rapid increase in plasma Vtg in bot
h male and female chub, indicating that vitellogenic response in the chub i
s sensitive to estrogen(s). Histological examination of the testis in males
exposed to estradiol also showed effects on the testis. Preliminary field
studies on wild chub showed that fish living in a polluted river had elevat
ed concentrations of plasma Vtg and had some alterations in the testis comp
ared with wild fish from a reference site. Together these preliminary labor
atory and field results show that chub could be an interesting fish species
for further studies of biological effects of environmental estrogens in th
e aquatic environment.