Evaluation of relationships between reproductive metrics, gender and vitellogenin expression in demersal flatfish collected near the municipal wastewater outfall of Orange County, California, USA.

Estrogenic activity in fish has primarily been evaluated using vitellogenin (vtg) expression in male and juvenile animals. Although the response has been widespread in field and laboratory studies, the relevance of the response to higher level adverse effects, particularly in the field, is less than clear. Previous evaluations of vtg within flatfish species collected near the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) outfall and stations as far as 7.

Biochemical effects of petroleum exposure in hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthys verticalis) exposed to a gradient of sediments collected from a natural petroleum seep in CA, USA.

Concentrations of serum/plasma estradiol, biliary fluorescent aromatic compounds (FACs), levels of hepatic CYP1A expression, and DNA damage were measured in sexually mature hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthys verticalis) exposed in the laboratory for 7 days to a gradient of sediments collected from a natural petroleum seep in the Santa Barbara Channel. Coal oil point (COP) sediments were homogenized and divided into four treatments containing 0 (sediment from the Orange County Sanitation District's reference location), 33, 66, and 100% (COP) sediments. Sediment concentrations of 20 PAHs ranged from below the detection limit for the 0% COP sediment treatments to 105 microg/g in the 100% treatments with lower molecular weight compounds predominating.

Use of the single cell gel electrophoresis/comet assay for detecting DNA damage in aquatic (marine and freshwater) animals.

The comet assay is a rapid, sensitive and inexpensive method for measuring DNA strand breaks. The comet assay has advantages over other DNA damage methods, such as sister chromatid exchange, alkali elution and micronucleus assay, because of its high sensitivity and that DNA strand breaks are determined in individual cells. This review describes a number of studies that used the comet assay to determine DNA strand breaks in aquatic animals exposed to genotoxicants both in vitro and in vivo, including assessment of DNA damage in aquatic animals collected from contaminated sites.

The relationships of biochemical endpoints to histopathology and population metrics in feral flatfish species collected near the municipal wastewater outfall of Orange County, California, USA.

In July 2000, 330 individuals of three flatfish species were collected from reference locations and nine sites surrounding the outfall of the Orange County (CA, USA) Sanitation District (OCSD) municipal wastewater discharge. Species included hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthys verticalis), English sole (Pleuronectes vetulus), and bigmouth sole (Hippoglossina stomata). Livers of sampled animals were examined for the expression of vitellogenin (in males), cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A), and DNA damage (comet assay).