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Biological Analysis of Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds in Tunisian Sewage Treatment Plants

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Abstract

Endocrin-disrupting compounds (EDCs) are frequently found in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). So far, research has been mainly focused on the detection of estrogenic compounds and very little work has been carried out on other receptors activators. In this study, we used reporter cell lines, which allow detecting the activity of estrogen (ERα), androgen (AR), pregnane X (PXR), glucocorticoid (GR), progesterone (PR), mineralocorticoid (MR), and aryl hydrocarbon (AhR) receptors, to characterise the endocrine-disrupting profile of the aqueous, suspended particulate matter, and sludge fractions from three Tunisian WWTPs. The aqueous fraction exhibited estrogenic and androgenic activities. Suspended particulate matter and sludge extracts showed estrogenic, aryl hydrocarbon and pregnane X receptor activities. No GR, MR, or PR (ant) agonistic activity was detected in the samples, suggesting that environmental compounds present in sewage might have a limited spectrum of activity. By performing competition experiments with recombinant ERα, we demonstrated that the estrogenic activity detected in the aqueous fraction was due to EDCs with a strong affinity for ERα. Conversely, in the sludge fraction, it was linked to the presence of EDCs with weak affinity. Moreover, by using different incubation times, we determined that the EDCs present in suspended particulate matter and sludge, which can activate AhR, are metabolically labile compounds. Finally, we showed in this study that environmental compounds are mainly ER, AR, PXR, and AhR activators. Concerning AR and PXR ligands, we do not to know the nature of the molecules. Concerning ER and AhR compounds, competition experiments with recombinant receptor and analysis at different times of exposure of the AhR activation gave some indications of the compound’s nature that need to be confirmed by chemical analysis.

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Acknowledgments

This study was co-funded by the Tunisian Ministry for the Scientific Research, the Technology and the Development of Competences, to the Research Unit 02/UR/09-01 of the Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Monastir, and by the Embassy of France in Tunisia/EGIDE Montpellier, France (SSHN, 2008). WM is currently at the Department of Biology of the Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Sidi Thabet, University of Manouba, Tunisia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Biochimie, Unité de Recherche 02/UR/09-01, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Monastir, 5000, Monastir, Tunisie

    Wissem Mnif & Aghleb Bartegi

  2. IRCM, Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier, 34298, Montpellier, France

    Wissem Mnif, Sonia Dagnino, Aurélie Escande, Arnaud Pillon, Marie-Josèphe Duchesne, Vincent Cavaillès & Patrick Balaguer

  3. INSERM, U896, 34298, Montpellier, France

    Wissem Mnif, Sonia Dagnino, Aurélie Escande, Arnaud Pillon, Marie-Josèphe Duchesne, Vincent Cavaillès & Patrick Balaguer

  4. Université Montpellier 1, 34298, Montpellier, France

    Wissem Mnif, Sonia Dagnino, Aurélie Escande, Arnaud Pillon, Marie-Josèphe Duchesne, Vincent Cavaillès & Patrick Balaguer

  5. CRLC Val d’Aurelle Paul Lamarque, 34298, Montpellier, France

    Wissem Mnif, Sonia Dagnino, Aurélie Escande, Arnaud Pillon, Marie-Josèphe Duchesne, Vincent Cavaillès & Patrick Balaguer

  6. UMR 5569 Hydrosciences Montpellier, Université Montpellier 1, 15 Avenue Charles Flahault, B.P. 14491-34093, Montpellier, France

    Sonia Dagnino, Aurélie Escande, Hélène Fenet, Elena Gomez & Claude Casellas

  7. INRA UR050, Laboratoire de Biotechnologie de l’Environnement, 11100, Narbonne, France

    Guillermina Hernandez-Raquet

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  1. Wissem Mnif
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  2. Sonia Dagnino
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  3. Aurélie Escande
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  4. Arnaud Pillon
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  5. Hélène Fenet
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  6. Elena Gomez
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  7. Claude Casellas
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  8. Marie-Josèphe Duchesne
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  9. Guillermina Hernandez-Raquet
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  10. Vincent Cavaillès
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  11. Patrick Balaguer
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  12. Aghleb Bartegi
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Correspondence to Patrick Balaguer.

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P. Balaguer and A. Bartegi should be considered as last co-authors.

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Mnif, W., Dagnino, S., Escande, A. et al. Biological Analysis of Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds in Tunisian Sewage Treatment Plants. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 59, 1–12 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-009-9438-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-009-9438-0

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