Assessment of Xenoestrogens in Jordanian Water System: Activity and Identification

Yazan Akkam; Derar Omari; Hassan Alhmoud; Mohammad Alajmi; Nosaibah Akkam; Islam Aljarrah

doi:10.3390/toxics11010063

Assessment of Xenoestrogens in Jordanian Water System: Activity and Identification

Toxics. 2023 Jan 9;11(1):63. doi: 10.3390/toxics11010063.

Authors

Yazan Akkam¹, Derar Omari², Hassan Alhmoud^{2

3}, Mohammad Alajmi⁴, Nosaibah Akkam⁵, Islam Aljarrah¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan.
² Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan.
³ Faculty of Pharmacy, Jerash University, Irbid 26110, Jordan.
⁴ Department of Law and Science Department, Kuwait International Law School, Doha 93151, Kuwait.
⁵ Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universität des Saarlandes, 66424 Hamburg, Germany.

Abstract

Sex hormone disruptors (xenoestrogens) are a global concern due to their potential toxicity. However, to date, there has been no study to investigate the presence of xenoestrogen pollutants in the Jordanian water system. Samples in triplicates were collected from six locations in Jordan, including dams, surface water, tap or faucet water, and filtered water (drinking water-local company). Xenoestrogens were then extracted and evaluated with a yeast estrogen screen utilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Later, possible pollutants were mined using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with a Bruker impact II Q-TOF-MS. Possible hits were identified using MetaboScape software (4000 compounds), which includes pesticide, pharmaceutical pollutant, veterinary drug, and toxic compound databases and a special library of 75 possible xenoestrogens. The presence of xenoestrogens in vegetable samples collected from two different locations was also investigated. The total estrogen equivalents according to the YES system were 2.9 ± 1.2, 9.5 ± 5, 2.5 ± 1.5, 1.4 ± 0.9 ng/L for King Talal Dam, As-Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant, King Abdullah Canal, and tap water, respectively. In Almujeb Dam and drinking water, the estrogenic activity was below the detection limit. Numbers of identified xenoestrogens were: As-Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant 27 pollutants, King Talal Dam 20 pollutants, Almujeb Dam 10 pollutants, King Abdullah Canal 16 pollutants, Irbid tap water 32 pollutants, Amman tap water 30 pollutants, drinking water 3 pollutants, and vegetables 7 pollutants. However, a large number of compounds remained unknown. Xenoestrogen pollutants were detected in all tested samples, but the total estrogenic capacities were within the acceptable range. The major source of xenoestrogen pollutants was agricultural resources. Risk evaluations for low xenoestrogen activity should be taken into account, and thorough pesticide monitoring systems and regular inspections should also be established.

Keywords: UPLC-MS; drinking water; estrogen receptors; surface water; water pollution; xenoestrogens.

Grants and funding

This work was fully funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research at Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan (grant #: 36/2015).