Meeting Abstract
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can be widespread contaminants in the environment, found in clothing, plastics, pesticides and more ( Zoeller 2012). These EDCs can interfere hormone receptors or hormone processing ( Zoeller 2012) which is causing a rise in concern regarding this category of chemical pollutants (Sifakis et al., n.d.). Here we examine the impact of Trenbolone (tren) an anabolic steroid that is used in cattle farming to promote rapid weight gain. Tren is synthetic testosterone mimic that is not fully metabolized and thus found in cattle excrement (Ankley 2003). As such, tren has been known to wash into agricultural runoff and is found within the aquatic environment (Cole 2015). In this study, we utilize mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) as a model to explore the impacts of tren on aquatic wildlife. Gambusia are often used as a mosquito control method in agricultural areas. Here we exposed Gambusia to 5 ppt and 10 ppt of tren for a month-long trial. Fish tissues were then analyzed to explore the impact of ecologically-relevant levels of tren exposure on fish metabolism and morphology.
