Effect-based and (non-)target chemical analyses reveal concerning levels of emerging contaminants in urban streams in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Water contamination by micropollutants is a global issue, yet there is limited information from low-income regions. To address this, we evaluated surface water quality in rapidly growing Sub-Saharan area of Malawi lacking wastewater treatment. Integrated assessment of passive sample extracts representing wet and dry seasons combined effect-based approach with in vitro bioassays, target and non-target chemical analyses (NTS).

Biomarker responses in wild brown trout from a headwater stream and their causal link to water pollution assessed through chemical analysis and in vitro reporter gene bioassays.

Improving our understanding of how environmental pollution affects aquatic life requires a holistic approach. This study provides new insights into the intrinsic biological defence of brown trout (Salmo trutta m. fario L.

Early life development and sex determination of brown trout affected by treated wastewater discharge.

Artificial conditions limit the ability of laboratory studies to describe the complex effects of polluted environments on aquatic life. This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of treated wastewater discharge on the survival, growth, and sex ratio balance of the population of brown trout (Salmo trutta m. fario) in situ.

Identification of new endocrine disruptive transthyretin ligands in polluted waters using pull-down assay coupled to non-target mass spectrometry.

Surface and treated wastewater are contaminated with highly complex mixtures of micropollutants, which may cause numerous adverse effects, often mediated by endocrine disruption. However, there is limited knowledge regarding some important modes of action, such as interference with thyroid hormone (TH) regulation, and the compounds driving these effects. This study describes an effective approach for the identification of compounds with the potential to bind to transthyretin (TTR; protein distributing TH to target tissues), based on their specific separation in a pull-down assay followed by non-target analysis (NTA).

Potential risk of estrogenic compounds produced by water blooms to aquatic environment.

Some freshwater phytoplankton species have been suggested to produce estrogenic compounds in concentrations which could cause adverse effects to aquatic biota, while other studies showed no estrogenic effects after exposure to phytoplankton extracts or pointed out possible sources of the overestimation of the estrogenic activity. This study aimed to clarify these research inconsistencies by investigating estrogenicity of biomass extracts from both environmental freshwater blooms and laboratory cyanobacterial and algae cultures by in vitro reporter bioassay. Biomasses of 8 cyanobacterial and 3 algal species from 7 taxonomic orders were extracted and tested.