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Aryl hydrocarbon receptor‐mediated toxic potency of dissolved lipophilic organic contaminants collected from Lincoln Creek, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, to PLHC‐1 ( Poeciliopsis lucida ) fish hepatoma cells
Author(s) -
Villeneuve Daniel L.,
Crunkilton Ronald L.,
DeVita William M.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620160516
Subject(s) - biota , environmental chemistry , bioassay , aryl hydrocarbon receptor , contamination , chemistry , potency , ecology , biology , in vitro , biochemistry , transcription factor , gene
Lincoln Creek is a severely degraded urban stream located in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, USA. As part of a comprehensive study on effects of urban storm water runoff on the stream biota, an in vitro bioassay with PLHC‐1 ( Poeciliopsis lucida ) fish hepatoma cells was used to assess potential toxic potency of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)‐active compounds, collected by semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) exposed to Lincoln Creek water. Dialysates from SPMDs exposed to Lincoln Creek water caused marked cytochrome P4501A induction in PLHC‐1. Toxic potency of dialysates, expressed as bioassay‐derived 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐ p ‐dioxin equivalents (TCDD‐EQ) ranged from 1,300 to 6,600 pg TCDD‐EQ/g SPMD for 14‐d exposures. Dialysates from SPMDs exposed to stream water at base flow had potencies consistently lower than those exposed to storm‐flow (high‐flow) events that occurred during the same 14‐d period. Polychlorinated biphenyls were not detectable in the dialysates. Gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry analysis identified polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as major contaminants in the dialysates. A log‐log correlation of total PAHs and TCDD‐EQ yielded an r 2 of 0.802. Empirical evidence suggests that AhR‐active PAHs can account for about 20 to 50% of the potency observed.