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Activities and identification of aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonists in sediments from the Danube river

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Abstract

This study is a consequence of a distinct fish decline in the Danube river since the beginning of the 1990s. In contrast to the decline of fish population, former studies have repeatedly documented that the water quality along the Danube river is improving. However, the conclusion of a pilot study in 2002 was that a high hazard potential is associated with local sediments. The present study documents that sediment samples from the Danube river showed comparatively high aryl hydrocarbon receptor mediated activity in biotests, using the cell lines GPC.2D.Luc, H4IIE (DR-CALUX®) and RTL-W1. The combination of chemical analysis, fractionation techniques and different in vitro tests revealed that priority pollutants could not explain the main induction, even though the concentrations of priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were very high (maximum in the tributary Schwarzach, sum of 16 EPA PAHs 26 μg/g). In conclusion, this investigation shows that nonpriority pollutants mainly mediate the high induction rates. Nevertheless, owing to the effects of PAHs towards fish and the connection between dioxin-like activity and carcinogenicity, the link between contamination and the fish population decline cannot be ruled out.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the German Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz, and a German–Swedish exchange program funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT). Melanie Böttcher, Nadja Seitz and Karl Wurm contributed significantly to this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aquatic Ecology and Toxicology Section, Department of Zoology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Steffen Keiter, Stefanie Grund, Thomas Braunbeck & Henner Hollert

  2. Department of Natural Science, Man-Technology-Environment Research Centre (MTM), University of Örebro, 70182, Örebro, Sweden

    Bert van Bavel, Jessika Hagberg, Magnus Engwall & Helena Olsman

  3. Institute for Fishery Ecology, Federal Research Centre for Fisheries, Palmaille 9, 22769, Hamburg, Germany

    Ulrike Kammann

  4. Department of Fish Quality, Federal Research Centre for Nutrition and Food, Palmaille 9, 22769, Hamburg, Germany

    Martin Klempt

  5. Federal Institute of Hydrology, Am Mainzer Tor 1, 56068, Koblenz, Germany

    Werner Manz

  6. Department for Ecosystem Analyses, Institute for Environmental Research (Biology V), RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany

    Henner Hollert

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  1. Steffen Keiter
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Correspondence to Steffen Keiter.

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Keiter, S., Grund, S., van Bavel, B. et al. Activities and identification of aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonists in sediments from the Danube river. Anal Bioanal Chem 390, 2009–2019 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-007-1652-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-007-1652-x

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