Xenoestrogens are chemical pollutants that can disrupt the endocrine system of animals by binding to and activating the estrogen receptor(s). They include both natural and synthetic steroid estrogens, together with a variety of estrogen mimicking chemicals such as 4-nonylphenol, bisphenol A and various pesticides. In vertebrates, estrogens play a fundamental role in reproduction, in somatic cell function, the regulation of calcium and water homeostasis. Exposure to xenoestrogens may therefore have unscheduled effects on these systems that can potentially compromise species survival. With the ever-increasing number of xenoestrogens identified and detected in the environment, together with the fact that they are seldom detected alone, there is a need to develop specific and sensitive biomarkers to detect estrogenic activity of chemicals in the environment when present alone and in mixtures. In this study, the effect of selected xenoestrogens was assessed using an in-vitro yeast estrogen screen (YES) both individually and in mixtures and in-vivo in a native fish species, the Murray rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/284103 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Woods, Marianne |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | EN-AUS |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright 2007 Marianne Woods |
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