Bioindicators of Contaminant Exposure, Liver Pathology, and Reproductive Development in Prespawning Female Winter Flounder ('Pleuronectes americanus') from Urban and Nonurban Estuaries on the Northeast Atlantic Coast.

摘要

Relationships between liver pathology and ovarian development, and exposure to xenobiotic compounds were evaluated in prespawning female winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus, formerly Pseudopleuronectes americanus) sampled from 11 sites on the Northeast coast of the United States during the 1988 and 1989 spawning seasons. Sediments from three sites exhibited a wide range in concentrations of xenobiotic compounds (e.g. concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) ranged from 20 to 50,000 ng/g dry weight and concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) ranged from 2 to 1,400 ng/g dry weight), with the sites in Boston Harbor and Raritan Bay the most heavily contaminated. The following parameters associated with ovarian development were measured: ovarian developmental stage, ovarian atresia, gonadosomatic index, plasma estradiol, fecundity, and egg weight. Contaminant exposure was assessed by measuring concentrations of fluorescent aromatic compounds (FACs) in the bile; hepatic aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity; concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in liver, ovary, and brain; and levels of xenobiotic-DNA adducts in liver tissue. In general, indicators of contaminant exposure were elevated and prevalences of suspected toxicopathic lesions were highest in fish from sites within Boston Harbor and Raritan Bay.