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Thyroid disruption in the lizard Podarcis bocagei exposed to a mixture of herbicides: a field study

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Abstract

Pesticide exposure has been related with thyroid disrupting effects in different vertebrate species. However, very little is known about the effects of these compounds in reptiles. In the Mediterranean area, lacertid lizards are the most abundant vertebrate group in agroecosystems, and have been identified as potential model species for reptile ecotoxicology. The aim of this study was to understand if the herbicides applied in corn fields have thyroid disruptive effects in the lizard Podarcis bocagei. Adult male lizards were captured in north-western Portugal in corn fields treated with herbicides (exposed sites), and in organic agricultural fields (reference sites). Thyroid and male gonad morphology and functionality, and testosterone levels were investigated through histological, immunohistochemical and biochemical techniques. Lizards from exposed locations displayed thyroid follicular lumens with more reabsorption vacuoles and significantly larger follicular area than those from reference fields. Furthermore, testes of lizards from exposed locations had significantly larger seminiferous tubule diameters, significantly higher number of spermatogenic layers and displayed an up-regulation of thyroid hormone receptors when compared with lizards from reference areas. These findings strongly suggest that the complex mixture of herbicides that lizards are exposed to in agricultural areas have thyroid disrupting effects which ultimately affect the male reproductive system. Alachlor, which has demonstrated thyroid effects in mammals, may be largely responsible for the observed effects.

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Acknowledgments

We appreciate the assistance of Ricardo Valente and CIBIO members. All lizards were collected under a permit issued by the Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e Biodiversidade. This research and the technical position of R.C. Bicho was supported by FEDER through COMPETE-Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade and National funding through FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, within the research project LAB-PET—Lacertid Lizards as Bioindicators of Pesticide Exposure and Toxicity in intensive market garden agriculture (FCT PTDC/AMB/64497/2006). M. J. Amaral benefited from a doctoral grant from FCT (SFRH/BD/31470/2006).

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CESAM & Departmento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Rita C. Bicho, Maria José Amaral, Amadeu M. V. M. Soares & Reinier M. Mann

  2. CIBIO—Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal

    Maria José Amaral & Miguel A. Carretero

  3. Departamento de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular, ICBAS, Universidade do Porto, 4050-123, Porto, Portugal

    Augusto M. R. Faustino & Alexandra Rêma

  4. Centro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR), Campus de Gambelas, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal

    Deborah M. Power

  5. Centre for Environmental Sustainability, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, 2007, Australia

    Reinier M. Mann

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  1. Rita C. Bicho
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  2. Maria José Amaral
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Correspondence to Rita C. Bicho.

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Bicho, R.C., Amaral, M.J., Faustino, A.M.R. et al. Thyroid disruption in the lizard Podarcis bocagei exposed to a mixture of herbicides: a field study. Ecotoxicology 22, 156–165 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-012-1012-2

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