Du Preez Louis H, Kunene Nisile, Hanner Robert, Giesy John P, Solomon Keith R, Hosmer Alan, Van Der Kraak Glen J
School of Environmental Sciences and Development, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa.
Aquat Toxicol. 2009 Oct 19;95(1):10-6. doi: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2009.07.018. Epub 2009 Aug 3.
The African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) has been identified as an appropriate sentinel for testing endocrine activity of existing chemicals in North America and Europe. Some reports suggest that the herbicide, atrazine (CAS Number [1912-24-9]) causes ovarian follicles to form in the testes of this frog. X. laevis collected from North East (NE) sites in South Africa had testicular ovarian follicles, irrespective of exposure to atrazine, while frogs from Southwest Western (SW) Cape region sites had none. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear genes indicates that frogs from the SW Cape are evolutionarily divergent from those from NE South Africa and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. These findings provide a possible explanation for why conflicting results have been reported concerning the impact of atrazine on amphibian sexual differentiation and highlight the importance of understanding taxonomic status of the experimental animal. Even in common laboratory animals, there is a need for their correct taxonomic characterization before their use in tests for endocrine disruption.
非洲爪蟾（非洲爪蟾）已被确定为在北美和欧洲测试现有化学品内分泌活性的合适哨兵。一些报告表明，除草剂阿特拉津（CAS编号[1912-24-9]）会导致这种青蛙的睾丸中形成卵巢卵泡。从南非东北部（NE）地区采集的非洲爪蟾有睾丸卵巢卵泡，无论是否接触阿特拉津，而来自西南开普地区（SW）的青蛙则没有。对线粒体和核基因的系统发育分析表明，来自西南开普的青蛙在进化上与来自南非东北部和撒哈拉以南非洲其他地区的青蛙不同。这些发现为为什么关于阿特拉津对两栖动物性别分化的影响报告结果相互矛盾提供了一种可能的解释，并强调了了解实验动物分类地位的重要性。即使在常见的实验动物中，在将它们用于内分泌干扰测试之前，也需要对其进行正确的分类特征描述。
