Bioassay-derived dioxin equivalent concentrations in gonads and livers of the Atlantic cod females from the Baltic Sea

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
• Main Authors: Dabrowska, H., Murk, A.J., van den Berg, J.H.J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: active compounds; aromatic-hydrocarbons; biphenyls; calux bioassay; dibenzo-p-dioxins; dr-calux(r) bioassay; expression calux; fish; in-vitro bioassay; sediments; atlantic cod
• Online Access: https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/bioassay-derived-dioxin-equivalent-concentrations-in-gonads-and-l; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2010.08.030

The DR-H4IIE.Luc bioassay is based on the ability of dioxin and dioxin-like contaminants to activate the AhR and its signal transduction pathway, a mechanism through which these contaminants elicit their toxic effects. The bioassay was used to examine the total dioxin-equivalent (TEQ) toxicity in gonads and livers of cod females from the southern Baltic Sea. The bioassay-derived TEQ-luc was measured after 24-h and 48-h exposure periods. Mean concentrations in the 24-h bioassay were 95 and 35 pg TEQ-luc g-1 lipid in gonads and livers, respectively, and 58 and 38 pg TEQ-luc g-1 lipid in the 48-h bioassay, respectively. The 48-h TEQ-luc levels displayed significant relationships with SPCB7 and selected PCB congeners but not with the TEQDLPCB-REP. Levels in gonads approached 10% of the LC50 for developing larvae of other marine fish, yet the impact on survival of the cod during its early life remains to be assessed in a future