Natural/synthetic Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) may display estrogenic activity and a lower potency than 17β-estradiol. Nonetheless, their concentrations and additive effects can affect the endocrine system and reproductive processes related to the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal (HPG) axis. Because of their persistence in both the environment and biological systems, they ultimately target multi-level predators, including humans. We detected presence and effects of xenobiotics on wild anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus in the Western Adriatic Sea. Twenty-one PCBs and five organochlorines were detected on the order of ng g-1; vitellogenin, vitellogenin receptor and genes encoding for the zona radiata proteins were evaluated in gonad and/or liver and found transcribed in male specimens; in addition, intersex was histologically identified in the 13% of testis. Our results have developed the understanding of the European anchovy's reproductive toxicological risk and our approach could assist the comprehension of the complex dynamics of commercially relevant Teleost species.
Keywords: Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs); European anchovy; Intersex; Vitellogenin; Zona radiata protein.
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