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A Reproductive Toxicology Study of Phenanthrene in Medaka (Oryzias latipes)

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Abstract

Environmental contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), can disrupt the endocrine system and affect reproductive function of humans and wildlife. In this study, we exposed Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) to water-borne or food-spiked phenanthrene, an ubiquitous PAH, and investigated the chronic effects of the chemical on medaka reproduction. The results showed that phenanthrene significantly prolonged the time to hatch for embryos. Other parameters such as fecundity and fertility, organ-somatic ratios, hepatic vitellogenin production, and the histology of testes and ovaries were not different between the control and phenanthrene-treated groups. This suggests that the time to hatch in embryos might be a more sensitive biomarker for environmental contaminants.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Chien-min Chen for technical advice and support on the histological examination in this study. This work was supported by grants to W. L. from Changhua Christian Hospital, Chang Jung Christian University, and National Science Council (NSC95-2314-B-309-005) in Taiwan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan, Taiwan

    Ching-Yi Horng

  2. Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan

    Hui-Chen Lin

  3. Department of Bioscience Technology, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan, Taiwan

    Wenjau Lee

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  1. Ching-Yi Horng
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  2. Hui-Chen Lin
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  3. Wenjau Lee
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Correspondence to Wenjau Lee.

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Horng, CY., Lin, HC. & Lee, W. A Reproductive Toxicology Study of Phenanthrene in Medaka (Oryzias latipes). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 58, 131–139 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-009-9335-6

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