Vinclozolin (VCZ), an antiandrogenic fungicide, is an endocrine disrupting chemical that is known to possess high affinity for the androgen receptor (AR) and modulate expression of critical androgen-dependant genes in the prostate. In this study, viability and expression of AR, NKX3.1 and CYP3A4 genes were measured in androgen-sensitive prostate cells LNCaP after exposure to VCZ and VCZ treated with S9 microsomes in a time and dose dependent manner. NKX3.1 is an androgen regulated gene that plays a vital role in prostate development. CYP3A4 is involved in xenobiotic metabolism. VCZ decreased the viability at high doses after 48 hours which was slightly mitigated by treatment with S9 metabolites. Expression of NKX3.1 and CYP3A4 was upregulated while an initial downregulation of AR was observed. NKX3.1 upregulation corroborates with possibility of antiandrogens to act as androgens in LNCaP. The results illustrate that VCZ can interfere with the expression of critical prostate genes.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are environmental pollutants known to perturb hormone systems and interfere with normal endocrine function. Exposure to EDCs during hormone-sensitive developmental periods can result in profound dysfunction in reproductive physiology and behavior. In this dissertation, effects of gestational exposure to a class of EDCs called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were examined in the developing hypothalamus, which is known to control reproductive physiology and behavior in vertebrates. The specific hypothesis was that PCBs caused changes in sexually dimorphic hypothalamic nuclei, resulting in perturbation of adult sociosexual behaviors and alteration of neural networks with changes in expression of microRNAs and genes during development and in adulthood. This research focused on two brain areas relevant to understanding the PCB effects on the developing hypothalamus: 1) microRNA and related target gene expression during postnatal development, 2) adult sociosexual behaviors and gene expression. In both sections, molecular changes were examined in two sexually dimorphic hypothalamic nuclei, medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) and ventromedial nucleus (VMN), known for their role in regulation of sociosexual behavior. In the first section of the dissertation, the effects of PCBs were examined on the expression of microRNAs and target genes at four ages during postnatal [P] development (P15, P30, P45, and P90). Age and sex specific effects were observed in both MPN and VMN, with greater effects in the MPN. The second research section of the dissertation explored whether sociosexual behaviors, namely ultrasonic vocalizations and sociosexual preference behaviors, were altered by gestational PCBs. Expression of forty-eight neuroendocrine candidate genes was also examined in the MPN and VMN of the same animals. Several sociosexual behaviors were affected, including number and acoustic properties of ultrasonic vocalizations, and nose-touching with opposite-sex animals. Gene expression was altered in sex and region-specific manner in the brains of behaviorally affected rats. Taken together, these findings suggest that gestational PCBs have lasting effects on molecular mechanisms during postnatal development and in adulthood, and could result in altered sociosexual behavior. These results have implications for human health and disease, as early life exposures to EDCs have been linked to reproductive decline in humans. / text

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-144). / xiv, 144 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are a group of synthetic and natural chemicals that have the potential to mimic the hormone-like activities in the human body. This study was conducted to recognize whether recycled water (a source of EDCs) has the potential to contaminate the environment when such water is used for irrigation purposes. Batch sorption and miscible displacement experiments were conducted to elucidate the fate and transport of four EDCs including estrone, 17β estradiol, octylphenol and nonylphenol in a soil from Hawaii. The sorption capacity of the soil from two depths (2 ft as topsoil and 15 ft as saprolite) was estimated using recycled water and deionized water as the mobile phases. The transport parameters of these contaminants were obtained by using the inverse modeling approaches as provided in the HYDRUS 1D code. All four EDCs sorbed significantly on the soil. Octylphenol and Nonylphenol rapidly degraded during sorption. The Freundlich model was suitable to describe the sorption isotherm. The sorption nonlinearity was relatively higher for saprolite compared to topsoil. Both physical and chemical non-equilibrium processes were found to affect the mobility of the EDCs in the soil. The migration of EDCs in the soil was enhanced in recycled water due to the presence of dissolved organic carbon and elevated salt concentration. The ambient pH had little effect on sorption of EDCs on the soil from either depth.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xviii, 168 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (PH.D.)--Michigan State University. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Aug. 11, 2009) Includes bibliographical references. Also issued in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2010. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 44 p. : ill. (some col.), map. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 28-35).

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T16:53:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2014-11-20Bitstream added on 2015-05-14T16:59:05Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000824366.pdf: 8069156 bytes, checksum: fb88188a8191b11bf5177ffde32fe389 (MD5) / Desruptoress endócrinos (D.E), como por exemplo, os pesticidas, representam uma classe emergente de contaminantes em sistemas aquáticos, que pode comprometer a vida da biota aquática e de seres humanos. Embora alguns estudos estejam sendo desenvolvidos no sentido de quantificação e verificação da toxicidade dos D.E presentes no ambiente, praticamente não há na literatura registros de estudos associados ao comportamento e disponibilidade destas substâncias em águas superficiais. Este trabalho buscou determinar a presença dos herbicidas 2,4-D(ácido 2,4-diclorofenoxiacético), Atrazina e Linuron e do inseticida Paration Metil, considerados D.E pela literatura internacional, nas águas do Rio Aporé e propor perspectivas de tratamento de águas de sistemas hídricos por meio de adsorventes sólidos de baixo custo. Este rio está localizado no cerrado brasileiro, o qual é marco divisor do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul com o Estado de Goiás e recebe grande carga de resíduos de produção agrícola. Após a coleta de amostras de água em pontos estratégicos, foi feita extração pela técnica de Extração em Fase Sólida, em cartuchos de sílica C-18 e a detecção em Cromatografia Gasosa acoplada com detector de Espectrometria de Massas. Os materiais testados para a remoção dos pesticidas alvo deste trabalho foram obtidos a partir de: i) argila organicamente modificada com o surfactante N-dodecil-2-pirrolidona (Mo-DDP); ii) garrafas de PET pós uso (PET); III) biomassa de pinhão manso - J. curcas L. (TPMAN); iv) cinzas de casca de arroz (CCA); v) sílica gel organicamente modificada com 2-Amino-1,3,4- thiadiazol (SGT) e vi) carvão ativado a partir de casca de coco (CA). Os estudos de detecção e quantificação dos pesticidas nas águas do Rio Aporé demonstraram a presença dos pesticidas Malation e Dibutilftalato, os quais são considerados D.E por órgãos governamentais brasileiro, ... / Endocrine disrupters chemical (EDC), such as pesticides, represent an emerging class of contaminants in aquatic systems that can compromise the life of aquatic biota and human. Although some studies are being developed to quantify and verify the toxicity of EDC in the environment, there is almost no literature records related to the conduct studies and availability of these substances in surface waters. The aim of this study was to verity the presence of herbicide 2,4-D (diclorfenoxacetic acid), Atrazine and Linuron and insecticide Methyl Paration in Aporé River to propose perspectives of treatment in these waters by using low cost adsorbents. This river is located at the Brazilian savanna region, river that is located between Mato Grosso do Sul state and Goias state and receives a great amount of agricultural production waste. After collecting an amount of water at strategic points, has been done an extraction by the technical of Solid Phase Extraction, in cartridges of silica C-18, the detection in Gas Chromatography, attached with a detector Mass Spectrometry. The materials tested for the removal of pesticides, targeted in this study, were obtained from the: i) organically modified clays with surfactant N-dodecyl-2-pyrrolidone (Mo-DDP); ii) PET- Polyethylene terephthalate bottle after use (PET); III) biomass of J. curcas L. (TPMAN); iv) rice husk ash (RHA); v) silica gel organically modified with 2-Amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole (SGT) and vi) activated carbon from coconut shell (AC). Studies of detection and quantification of pesticides on the Aporé River‘s water demonstrate the presence of pesticides Malathion and Dibutyl phthalate(DBP), which are considered EDC by Brazilian, American and European government agencies. The adsorbents used had positive parameters to use for removal of these molecules, both in batch studies when fixed bed. The adsorption parameters tested showed that 60 to 120 min. ...

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / The degradation of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is a topic of high importance and one that research efforts are continually being focused on. These harmful chemicals are known to cause adverse health effects in humans and animals. In particular, bisphenol-A (BPA), a high volume chemical which is mainly used in the manufacturing of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins have been shown to be implicated in the development of a variety of health problems. In this study, the ability of two fungal laccases [Trametes versicolor (TvL) and Trametes pubescens (TpL)], and two bacterial laccases [Streptomyces coelicolor (SLAC), and a mutant of SLAC (SLAC- VN)] to degrade or remove BPA from solution was investigated. The commercial preparation of TvL was used for the purposes of this study, while TpL was produced from the native strain. T. pubescens was cultured in shake-flasks, the supernatant harvested and subjected to ammonium sulphate precipitation. SLAC and SLAC-VN were produced from recombinant strains using a standard protocol and the enzymes purified by size-exclusion chromatography. The presence of the laccases were confirmed by the 2,6-dimethoxyphenol assay and sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE).The removal or degradation of BPA from solution was determined for the free enzymes, as well as the enzymes in immobilised form. For immobilisation, the enzymes were encapsulated in sodium alginate beads and cross-linked to form cross- linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs).High levels of BPA removal was exhibited by the fungal laccase, TpL (100% removal)and the bacterial mutant laccase, SLAC-VN (96%) in their free form. When all four laccases were encapsulated in sodium alginate beads, a number of changes to the characteristics of the enzymes were observed. Overall, the level of BPA removal was reduced for all enzymes as when compared to the free laccases, while SLAC-VN removed more BPA than either of the fungal laccases (59% for SLAC-VN versus 57% TvL and 54% for TpL). The encapsulation of the laccases in alginate beads also led to changes in the optimal temperature for BPA removal, with all encapsulated laccase being able to remove BPA optimally at 40°C. The immobilisation of the laccases in CLEA form had the most significant effect on the BPA removal ability of the laccases. The pH range for both fungal laccases was extended beyond the acidic range [for TpL, optimal removal occurred at pH 8.5 compared to pH 4.5 (free) and pH 6.0 (encapsulated)]. Most remarkable, however, was that the formation of CLEAs greatly enhanced the BPA removal ability of SLAC (60% removal compared to 25% when encapsulated).

Vinclozolin (VCZ), an antiandrogenic fungicide, is an endocrine disrupting chemical that is known to possess high affinity for the androgen receptor (AR) and modulate expression of critical androgen-dependant genes in the prostate. In this study, viability and expression of AR, NKX3.1 and CYP3A4 genes were measured in androgen-sensitive prostate cells LNCaP after exposure to VCZ and VCZ treated with S9 microsomes in a time and dose dependent manner. NKX3.1 is an androgen regulated gene that plays a vital role in prostate development. CYP3A4 is involved in xenobiotic metabolism. VCZ decreased the viability at high doses after 48 hours which was slightly mitigated by treatment with S9 metabolites. Expression of NKX3.1 and CYP3A4 was upregulated while an initial downregulation of AR was observed. NKX3.1 upregulation corroborates with possibility of antiandrogens to act as androgens in LNCaP. The results illustrate that VCZ can interfere with the expression of critical prostate genes.