Meeting Abstract
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can directly interfere with an organism’s endocrine system by mimicking naturally occurring hormones, thus eliciting a response similar to that of natural hormones. However, the timing or degree of this response is abnormal. For this reason, many EDCs are considered environmental pollutants. One compound that has been of particular concern as of late is trenbolone acetate, a synthetically produced anabolic-androgenic steroid that is used as a growth promotor in the cattle industry and has a high affinity for androgen and progestin receptors in vivo (Bauer, et. al., 2000). Because the half-life of trenbolone is upwards of eight months, there is an immense potential for aquatic organisms to be exposed to trenbolone via agricultural runoff (Schiffer et. al., 2001). Therefore, exploring the levels of trenbolone in aquatic environments is exceedingly important to the health of our environment, as exposure to high levels of androgens can cause masculinization and behavioral changes in individuals. The morphological, developmental, and behavioral changes that trenbolone elicits are well documented (Ankley et. al., 2009 & Orn et. al. 2006). To date, several studies have demonstrated that trenbolone is, in fact, present in water sources due to runoff (Durhan et. al., 2006 & Schiffer et. al. 2001). However, the relationship between aquatic trenbolone levels and the amount of trenbolone present in the tissues of aquatic animals is far less understood. With this project, we optimized a HPLC and LCMS procedure to identify and quantify trenbolone levels in laboratory and field samples in order to better understand the temporal and spatial changes in trenbolone exposure within these paradigms.
