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(80-75) ISIS - Assessment of teratogenic and neurotoxic contaminants in North Sea and Baltic Sea sediments. Danischewski, Dirk*,1, Vobach, Michael1, Kammann, Ulrike1, Biselli, Scarlett2, Huehnerfuss, Heinrich3, Reineke, Ninja3, Theobald, Norbert2, 1 Federal Research Centre for Fisheries, Palmaille 9, Hamburg, Germany2 Federal Maritime Agency, Wuestland 2, Hamburg, Germany3 University of Hamburg, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, Hamburg, Germany ABSTRACT- The research project ISIS 'Identification of sediment bound contaminants from North Sea and Baltic Sea' is supported by a grant from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of the Federal Republic of Germany (BMBF project no. F0271A-C). In the framework of ISIS the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo test is used to screen extracts and extract fractions of marine sediments from the North Sea and the Baltic Sea for teratogenic effects in a bioassay-directed extraction and fractionation scheme. The primary extracts of North Sea and Baltic Sea sediments caused lethal and sublethal effects in a dose-dependent manner. The primary extracts were then fractionated in two subsequent steps by GPC and HPLC. Samples from the North Sea and the Baltic Sea exhibited distinct patterns of toxicity, indicating that different contaminants may be of concern in these areas. The results of further fractionation and of tests with substances identified in these fractions are presented. An in vitro acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition test was used with the same extracts and fractions to detect neurotoxic effects of sediment-bound contaminants. All primary extracts caused a significant inhibition of the enzyme. In both, North Sea and Baltic Sea samples, the mid- to high-polar HPLC fractions exhibited the highest AChE inhibition. As these fractions include known AChE inhibitors as well as a number of previously untested substances, further fractionations and tests with identified compounds have been performed and their results will be presented. Key words: embryotoxicity, zebrafish, neurotoxicity, acetylcholinesterase |
