Pathology of the liver, kidney and gonad of flounder (Platichthys flesus) from a UK estuary Impacted by endocrine disrupting chemicals

The Mersey estuary is highly contaminated with xenobiotics compared to the nearby Dee estuary. Male flounder, a migratory flatfish caught in the Merse y frequently contains high blood concentrations of the oestrogen controlled , female protein vitellogenin, suggesting that Mersey flounder have been ex posed to endocrine disrupting contaminants. Males caught from the Dee conta in lower blood vitellogenin levels. Preliminary histopathological examinati on of 410 flounder from both estuaries, focuses on the liver, kidney and go nads. Hepatic tubular vacuolation, foci of cellular alteration, and hepatoc ellular tumours were seen. Renal and gonadal pathology included the presenc e of two Mersey fish with enlarged and abnormal glomeruli, three phenotypic male Mersey flounder with unilateral intersex gonads and one male with bil ateral, abnormal ovarian follicular components in the testis. These initial results provide pathological evidence of xenobiotic exposure in flounder s ampled from both estuaries. Preliminary findings from flounder sampled from Millport, an offshore site in Southwest Scotland, showed no histopathologi cal evidence of xenobiotic exposure. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rig hts reserved.