U.S. EPA, Mid-Continent Ecology Division , 6201 Congdon Boulevard , Duluth , Minnesota 55804 , United States.
U.S. Geological Survey , South Atlantic Water Science Center , 720 Gracern Road , Columbia , South Carolina 29210 , United States.
Environ Sci Technol. 2019 Jan 15;53(2):973-983. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.8b05304. Epub 2018 Dec 21.
While chemical analysis of contaminant mixtures remains an essential component of environmental monitoring, bioactivity-based assessments using in vitro systems increasingly are used in the detection of biological effects. Historically, in vitro assessments focused on a few biological pathways, for example, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) or estrogen receptor (ER) activities. High-throughput screening (HTS) technologies have greatly increased the number of biological targets and processes that can be rapidly assessed. Here we screened extracts of surface waters from a nationwide survey of United States streams for bioactivities associated with 69 different end points using two multiplexed HTS assays. Bioactivity of extracts from 38 streams was evaluated and compared with concentrations of over 700 analytes to identify chemicals contributing to observed effects. Eleven primary biological end points were detected. Pregnane X receptor (PXR) and AhR-mediated activities were the most commonly detected. Measured chemicals did not completely account for AhR and PXR responses. Surface waters with AhR and PXR effects were associated with low intensity, developed land cover. Likewise, elevated bioactivities frequently associated with wastewater discharges included endocrine-related end points ER and glucocorticoid receptor. These results underscore the value of bioassay-based monitoring of environmental mixtures for detecting biological effects that could not be ascertained solely through chemical analyses.
虽然对污染物混合物进行化学分析仍然是环境监测的一个重要组成部分，但基于生物活性的评估方法，特别是利用体外系统进行的评估，越来越多地用于检测生物效应。从历史上看，体外评估主要集中在少数几个生物途径上，例如芳香烃受体 (AhR) 或雌激素受体 (ER) 活性。高通量筛选 (HTS) 技术大大增加了可以快速评估的生物靶标和过程的数量。在这里，我们使用两种多重 HTS 测定法，对来自美国溪流全国性调查的地表水提取物进行了与 69 种不同终点相关的生物活性筛选。评估了来自 38 条溪流的提取物的生物活性，并与超过 700 种分析物的浓度进行了比较，以确定导致观察到的效应的化学物质。检测到了 11 个主要的生物学终点。孕烷 X 受体 (PXR) 和 AhR 介导的活性是最常见的。测量的化学物质并未完全解释 AhR 和 PXR 反应。具有 AhR 和 PXR 效应的地表水与低强度、发达的土地覆盖有关。同样，与废水排放有关的升高的生物活性经常包括与内分泌相关的终点 ER 和糖皮质激素受体。这些结果强调了基于生物测定的环境混合物监测的价值，该方法可用于检测仅通过化学分析无法确定的生物效应。
