posted on 2017-12-18, 00:00authored bySaihong Yan, Miao Wang, Jinmiao Zha, Lifei Zhu, Wei Li, Qian Luo, Jing Sun, Zijian Wang
In
the present study, Chinese rare minnows (Gobiocypris
rarus) were exposed to 1, 10, and 100 μg/L of carbamazepine
(CBZ) under flow-through conditions for 28 d. A hepatic-specific custom
microarray identified 111 and 71 differentially expressed genes in
the livers of females and males, respectively, exposed to 100 μg/L
of CBZ (ratio ≥ 2, p ≤ 0.05). The levels
of five differentially expressed genes associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal
(HPG) axis were quantified by qPCR, and the results indicated the
feasibility of screening endocrine-disrupting chemicals using a custom
microarray. The mRNA levels of genes related to the HPG axis differed
significantly in different organs of Chinese rare minnows (p < 0.05). Significant differences were observed in the
11-ketotestosterone and plasma vitellogenin levels in all treatments
and in the 17β-estradiol (E2) levels in the 100 μg/L CBZ
treatment. In contrast, the gonadosomatic index was significantly
higher in females and slightly higher in males without significant
differences. A pathological analysis determined that 10 and 100 μg/L
of CBZ could lead to ova-testis in males and significantly promoted
ovum maturation in females. Therefore, our results demonstrate that
environmentally relevant concentrations of CBZ have homologous estrogenic
activity and induce reproductive toxicity in Chinese rare minnows.