Evaluating the alterations of the estrogen-responsive genes in Cyprinodon variegatus larvae for biomonitoring the impacts of estrogenic endocrine disruptors (EEDs).

Currently, endocrine disruptors (EDs) can be found in all the environmental compartments. To understand the effects of estrogenic EDs (EEDs), adults of Cyprinodon variegatus have been classically used as a marine model. However, it is during development that exposure to contaminants may generate permanent consequences.

Widespread alterations upon exposure to the estrogenic endocrine disruptor ethinyl estradiol in the liver proteome of the marine male fish Cyprinodon variegatus.

Quantitative proteomic changes in the liver of adult males of Sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus) upon exposure to ethinyl estradiol (EE2) were assessed to provide an advanced understanding of the metabolic pathways affected by estrogenic endocrine disruption in marine fish, and to identify potential novel molecular biomarkers for the environmental exposure to estrogens. From a total of 3188 identified protein groups (hereafter proteins), 463 showed a statistically significant difference in their abundance between EE2 treatment and solvent control samples. The most affected biological processes upon EE2 exposure were related to ribosomal biogenesis, protein synthesis and transport of nascent proteins to endoplasmic reticulum, and nuclear mRNA catabolism.

The bisphenol A metabolite MBP causes proteome alterations in male Cyprinodon variegatus fish characteristic of estrogenic endocrine disruption.

The toxicological status of bisphenol A (BPA) is under strong debate. Whereas in vitro it is an agonist of the estrogen receptor with a potency ca. 10-fold lower than the natural female hormone estradiol, in vivo exposure causes only mild effects at concentration thresholds environmentally not relevant and inconsistent among species.

Currently monitored microplastics pose negligible ecological risk to the global ocean.

Given the rise in plastic production, microplastics (MP) dominate marine debris, and their impact on marine ecosystems will likely increase. However a global quantitative assessment of this risk is still lacking. We conducted an ecological risk assessment of MP in the global ocean by comparing the thresholds of biological effects with the probability of exposure to those concentrations, according to plastic density data adjusted to a log-normal distribution.

Water quality criteria for selected pharmaceuticals and personal care products for the protection of marine ecosystems.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP) are increasingly detected in estuarine and coastal waters and organisms but they are absent from lists of priority substances and no environmental quality criteria are available for these chemicals. Ten PPCP were selected on the basis of their occurrence and reported biological effects, oxytetracycline (OTC), sulfamethoxazole (SUL), ibuprofen (IBU), diclofenac (DCF), sertraline (SER), fluoxetine (FLU), carbamazepine (CAR), propranolol (PRO), benzophenone-3 (BP3), and triclosan (TCS). For these chemicals, probabilistic and deterministic water quality criteria (WQC) were derived from their species sensitive distribution (SSD) curves and the critical values respectively, prioritizing ecotoxicological information obtained with sensitive early-life stages of marine organisms.

First description of the life cycle of the jellyfish Rhizostoma luteum (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae).

Jellyfish blooms are a significant environmental problem that is increasing and may be influenced by anthropocentric practices such as overfishing, pollution, eutrophication, translocation, climate change, and ocean acidification. Many jellyfish have unknown life cycles leading to these blooms. We describe for the first time, the life cycle of scyphozoan jellyfish Rhizostoma luteum from the planula to the young medusa stages, based on laboratory observations.