Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
BACKGROUND: Africa faces a number of unique environmental challenges. Unfortunately, it lacks the infrastructure needed to support the comprehensive environmental studies that could provide the scientific basis to inform environmental policies. There are a number of known sources of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and other hazardous chemicals in Africa. However, a coordinated approach to identify and monitor these contaminants and to develop strategies for public health interventions has not yet been made. OBJECTIVES: This commentary summarizes the scientific evidence presented by experts at the First African Endocrine Disruptors meeting. We describe a "call to action" to utilize the available scientific knowledge to address the impact of EDCs on human and wildlife health in Africa. DISCUSSION: We identify existing knowledge gaps about exposures to EDCs in Africa and describe how well-designed research strategies are needed to address these gaps. A lack of resources for research and a lag in policy implementation slows down intervention strategies and poses a challenge to advancing future health in Africa. CONCLUSION: To address the many challenges posed by EDCs, we argue that Africans should take the lead in prioritization and evaluation of environmental hazards, including EDCs. We recommend the institution of education and training programs for chemical users, adoption of the precautionary principle, establishment of biomonitoring programs, and funding of community-based epidemiology and wildlife research programs led and funded by African institutes and private companies. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1774.
Environmental Health Perspectives

hal-01616487
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01616487
DOI : 10.1289/EHP1774
PUBMED : 28935616

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD MDPI
Résumé : International audience
The issue of drinking water quality compliance in small and medium scale water services is of paramount importance in relation to the 98/83/CE European Drinking Water Directive (DWD). Additionally, concerns are being expressed over the implementation of the DWD with respect to possible impacts on water quality from forecast changes in European climate with global warming and further anticipated reductions in north European acid emissions. Consequently, we have developed a decision support system (DSS) named ARTEM-WQ (AwaReness Tool for the Evaluation and Mitigation of drinking Water Quality issues resulting from environmental changes) to support decision making by small and medium plant operators and other water stakeholders. ARTEM-WQ is based on a sequential risk analysis approach that includes consideration of catchment characteristics, climatic conditions and treatment operations. It provides a holistic evaluation of the water system, while also assessing human health risks of organic contaminants potentially present in treated waters (steroids, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, bisphenol-a, polychlorobiphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, petrochemical hydrocarbons and disinfection by-products; n = 109). Moreover, the system provides recommendations for improvement while supporting decision making in its widest context. The tool has been tested on various European catchments and shows a promising potential to inform water managers of risks and appropriate mitigative actions. Further improvements should include toxicological knowledge advancement, environmental background pollutant concentrations and the assessment of the impact of distribution systems on water quality variation.
ISSN: 1660-4601

hal-01122233
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01122233
PUBMED : 25046634
DOI : 10.3390/ijerph110707354
PUBMEDCENTRAL : PMC4113881

Résumé : This study contributes to inventory programme on emerging pollutants in French waters and to the general reflection which will enable to update the list of relevant substnaces to be included in the new monitoring programmes to come. This work concerns the coastal part of the inventory programme on marine waters and sediments of France and five overseas french departments (OFD). In this goal, passive sampling techniques and direct extraction techniques have been tested through the implementation of in situ systems integrators POCIS (Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler) and the extraction by SBSE bars (Stir bar sorptive extraction) directly in the waters sampled. Finally, analyzes of sediment completed the acquisition of data. Arount 40 stations were sampled for shore waters and sediments were collected from 7 stations in France and 5 stations in the OFD (one station/OFD). In analytical terms, 1054 analyzes were carried out on POCIS membranes and only 64 data exceeded the limit of detection (LD), 12726 analyzes came from SBSE extractions and 304 were above the LD and 1536 analyzes in sediment showed that 237 data were above the limit of quantification (LQ). Finally, 169 different substances were investigated and 68 of them were detected at least once in water or sediment. The lack of replicates for POCIS analyzes and those in the sediment limited the statistical treatment of data. The results were used to determine the level of contamination, the detection frequency (FD), the distribution of substances between France and OFD, the comparison with environmental thresholds (the PNEC) and the origin/use of the substances. In littoral waters, 32 substances were identified and 19 were quantified. In the sediment, 47 substances were quantified. Nine substances were detected in both water and sediment. In France, the 15 substances that were quantified at higher frequencies (> 50 %, one out of 2 sites) were quantified in sediments. These are the congeners of PAHs (11 substances), organic forms of tin (2 substances), diethyl lead and 209 PBDE congener. In the OFD, the 22 substances that were quantified at higher frequencies (> 50 %, one out of 2 sites) were measured in sediments. These are congeners of PAHs (13 substances) , alkylphenols ( 3 molecules: the mono and diethoxyate nonylphenol and the 4-ter butylphenol ), the organic forms of tin (2 substances), products of metabolism insecticide DDT ( 2 products), diethyl lead and the 209 PBDE congener. The study of the highest concentrations distribution of substances between France and OFD shows that the 5 (among 19 molecules) highest concentrations in water and the 6 (among 47 molecules) highest concentrations in sediments are found in OFD. Reference to PNEC indicates that four pesticides in water and 11 different substances in sediments exceed the environmental thresholds. Substances with highest detection frequency are found in the sediment. The distribution of data by use or nature of the substance shows that plasticizers and pesticides predominate in raw water, both in France and overseas departments while PAHs in sediments dominate in France and in OFD.
Cette étude contribue au programme d’inventaire des substances chimiques émergentes dans les eaux françaises et à la réflexion qui doit permettre d’actualiser la liste des substances pertinentes à surveiller de manière régulière dans le cadre des nouveaux programmes de surveillance. Ce travail concerne la partie littorale de l’inventaire, sur les eaux brutes et les sédiments de la métropole et des 5 DOM. Dans ce cadre, des techniques d’échantillonnage passif (EP) et d’extraction directe ont été testées grâce à la mise en place in situ de systèmes intégrateurs POCIS (Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler) et à l’extraction par des barres SBSE (Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction) directement dans les eaux échantillonnées. Enfin des analyses de sédiments ont complété l’acquisition des données. L’eau d’une quarantaine de stations a été échantillonnée et des sédiments ont été prélevés sur 7 stations en métropole et dans 5 stations dans les DOM (une station par DOM). En termes analytiques, 1054 analyses ont été réalisées sur les membranes POCIS et 64 dépassaient la limite de détection (LD), 12726 analyses ont concerné les extractions par SBSE pour 304 résultats situés au dessus de la LD et 1536 analyses effectuées dans le sédiment ont donné 237 valeurs supérieures à la limite de quantification (LQ). Au bilan 169 substances différentes ont été recherchées et 68 d’entre elles ont été détectées au moins une fois dans l’eau brute ou le sédiment. L’absence de réplicats pour les analyses POCIS et celles dans le sédiment a limité le traitement statistique des données. Les résultats ont permis de déterminer le niveau de contamination, la fréquence de détection (FD), la distribution métropole/DOM des substances, la comparaison avec les seuils environnementaux (PNEC) et l’origine des substances. Dans l’eau 32 substances ont été identifiées et 19 ont été quantifiées. Dans le sédiment 47 substances sont quantifiées .Neuf substances sont détectées à la fois dans l’eau et le sédiment. En métropole, les 15 substances quantifiées aux plus hautes fréquences (> 50%, soit un site sur 2) sont quantifiées dans les sédiments. Ce sont les congénères de la famille des HAP (11 substances), des formes organiques de l’étain (2 substances), le plomb diéthyle et le congénère 209 des PBDE. Dans les DOM, les 22 substances quantifiées aux plus hautes fréquences (> 50%, soit un site sur 2) sont mesurées dans les sédiments. Ce sont des congénères de la famille des HAP dans (13 substances), des alkylphénols (3 substances : nonylphénols mono et diéthoxylés et 4-ter butylphénol), des formes organiques de l’étain (2 substances), des produits de métabolisation de l’insecticide DDT (2 produits), du plomb diéthyle et du congénère 209 des PBDE. L’étude de la répartition des plus fortes concentrations entre la métropole et les DOM montre que les 5 (sur 19) concentrations les plus élevées mesurées dans l’eau et les 6 (sur 47) plus fortes concentrations mesurées dans les sédiments sont trouvées dans les DOM. Les substances mesurées aux fortes fréquences sont observées dans le sédiment. La référence à la PNEC indique le dépassement de la norme pour 4 pesticides dans l’eau brute et 11 substances diverses dans les sédiments. L’exploitation des données par usage ou nature des substances montre que les plastifiants et les pesticides sont majoritaires dans les eaux brutes, à la fois en métropole et dans les DOM alors que ce sont les HAP qui dominent dans les sédiments, en métropole et dans les DOM.

Droits : 2014 ONEMA, Ifremer
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00259/36994/35483.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00259/36994/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier Masson
Résumé : Contaminant migration in aquifers is one of the most debated issues in hydrogeology, as most experimental results display large deviations from the standard (asymptotic) Fickian dispersion theories. Multi-scale investigation and high-resolution sensors are required to determine the origin of non-asymptotic dispersion and validate models. For this, a set of multi-scale Single-Well Injection-Withdrawal (SWIW) tracer tests using a new dual-packer probe CoFIS, including a high resolution optical sensor TELog, are presented. When compared to standard techniques such as salinity measurements, it is shown that high-resolution optical measurements allow an improved characterization of the long-lasting non-asymptotic dispersion mechanisms.
ISSN: 1631-0713

hal-00445250
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00445250
DOI : 10.1016/j.crte.2009.07.012

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Lung diseases are aggravated by exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) found in air pollution. Macrophages are thought to play a crucial role in lung immune response to these pollutants, even if the mechanisms involved remain incompletely characterized. In the present study, we demonstrated that classically and alternative human macrophages (MΦ) exhibited increased secretion of PDGF-B in response to DEP extract (DEPe). This occurred via aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-activation because DEPe-induced PDGF-B overexpression was abrogated after AhR expression knock-down by RNA interference, in both M1 and M2 polarizing MΦ. In addition, TCDD and benzo(a)pyrene, two potent AhR ligands, also significantly increased mRNA expression of PDGF-B in M1 MΦ, whereas some weak ligands of AhR did not. We next evaluated the impact of conditioned media (CM) from MΦ culture exposed to DEPe or of recombinant PDGF-B onto lung fibroblast proliferation. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor, AG1295, prevents phosphorylations of PDGF-Rβ, AKT and ERK1/2 and the proliferation of MRC5 fibroblasts induced by recombinant PDGF-B and by CM from M1 polarizing MΦ, strongly suggesting that the PDGF-BB secreted by DEPe-exposed MΦ is sufficient to activate the PDGF-Rβ pathway of human lung fibroblasts. In conclusion, we demonstrated that human MΦ, whatever their polarization status, secrete PDGF-B in response to DEPe and that PDGF-B is a target gene of AhR. Therefore, induction of PDGF-B by DEP may participate in the deleterious effects towards human health triggered by such environmental urban contaminants.
ISSN: 0041-008X

hal-01146840
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01146840
DOI : 10.1016/j.taap.2015.04.007
PUBMED : 25896968

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Résumé : International audience
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) are widely distributed environmental contaminants, known as potent ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). These chemicals trigger an early and transient increase of intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)), required for AhR-related effects of PAHs. The mechanisms involved in this calcium mobilization were investigated in the present study. We demonstrated that B(a)P-mediated [Ca(2+)](i) induction was prevented in endothelial HMEC-1 cells by counteracting β2-adrenoreceptor (β2ADR) activity using pharmacological antagonists, anti-β2ADR antibodies, or siRNA-mediated knockdown of β2ADR expression; by contrast, it was strongly potentiated by β2ADR overexpression in human kidney HEK293 cells. B(a)P was shown, moreover, to directly bind to β2ADR, as assessed by in vitro binding assays and molecular modeling. Pharmacological inhibition and/or siRNA-mediated silencing of various signaling actors acting downstream of β2ADR in a sequential manner, such as G protein, adenylyl cyclase, Epac-1 protein, and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3))/IP(3) receptor, were next demonstrated to prevent B(a)P-induced calcium signal. Inhibition or knockdown of these signaling elements, as well as the use of chemical β-blockers, were finally shown to counteract B(a)P-mediated induction of cytochrome P-450 1B1, a prototypical AhR target gene. Taken together, our results show that B(a)P binds directly to β2ADR and consequently utilizes β2ADR machinery to mobilize [Ca(2+)](i), through activation of a G protein/adenylyl cyclase/cAMP/Epac-1/IP(3) pathway. This β2ADR-dependent signaling pathway activated by PAHs may likely be crucial for PAH-mediated up-regulation of AhR target genes, thus suggesting a contribution of β2ADR to the health-threatening effects of these environmental pollutants.
ISSN: 0021-9258

hal-00682497
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00682497
DOI : 10.1074/jbc.M111.319970
PUBMED : 22167199

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The identification of a large OIB-type volcanic sequence on top of an obducted nappe in the Lesser Caucaus of Armenia helps us explain the obduction processes in the Caucasus region that are related to dramatic change in the global tectonics of the Tethyan region in the late Lower Cretaceous. The ophiolitic nappe preserves three distinct magmatic series, obducted in a single tectonic slice over the South Armenian Block during the Coniacian-Santonian (88-83 Ma), the same time as the Oman ophiolite. Similar geological, petrological, geochemical and age features for various Armenian ophiolitic massifs (Sevan, Stepanavan, and Vedi) argue for the presence of a single large obducted ophiolite unit. The ophiolite, shows evidence for a slow-spreading oceanic environment in Lower to Middle Jurassic. Serpentinites, gabbros and plagiogranites were exhumed by normal faults, and covered by radiolarites. Few pillow-lava flows have infilled the rift grabens. The ophiolite lavas have hybrid geochemical composition intermediate between Arc and MORB signatures: (La/Yb)(N) = 0.6-0.9: (Nb/Th)(N) = 0.17-0.57; (Nd-143/Nd-144)(i) = 0.51273-0.51291; (Sr-87/Sr-86)(i) = 0.70370-0.70565; (Pb-207/Pb-204)(i) = 15.4587-15.5411; (Pb-208/Pb-204)(i) = 37.4053-38.2336; (Pb-206/Pb-204)(i) = 17.9195-18.4594. These compositions suggest they were probably formed in a back-arc basin by melting of a shallow asthenosphere source contaminated by a deeper mantle source modified by subducted slab-derived products. Sr-87/Sr-86 ratios and petrological evidence show that these lavas have been intensely altered by mid-oceanic hydrothermalism as well as by serpentinites, which are interpreted as exhumed mantle peridotites. The gabbros have almost the same geochemical composition as related pillow-lavas: (La/Yb)(N) = 0.2-2.3; (Nb/Th)(N) = 0.1-2.8; (Nd-143/Nd-144)(i) = 0.51264-0.51276: (Sr-87/Sr-86)(i) = 0.70386-0.70557; (Pb-207/Pb-204)(i) = 15.4888-15.5391; (Pb-208/Pb-204)(i) = 37.2729-37.8713; (Pb-206/Pb-204)(i) = 17.6296-17.9683. Plagiogranites show major and trace element features similar to other Neo-Tethyan plagiogranites (La/Yb)(N) = 1.10-7.92; (Nb/Th)(N) = 0.10-0.94; but display a less radiogenic Nd isotopic composition than basalts [(Nd-143/Nd-144)(i) = 0.51263] and more radiogenic (Sr-87/Sr-86)(i) ratios. This oceanic crust sequence is covered by variable thicknesses of unaltered pillowed OIB alkaline lavas emplaced in marine conditions. Ar-40/Ar-39 dating of a single-grain amphibole phenocryst provides a Lower Cretaceous age of 117.3 +/- 0.9 Ma, which confirms a distinct formation age of the OIB lavas. The geochemical composition of these alkaline lavas is similar to plateau-lavas [(La/Yb)(N) = 6-14; (Nb/Th)(N) = 0.23-0.76; (Nd-143/Nd-144)(i) = 0.51262-0.51271; (Sr-87/Sr-86)(i) = 0.70338-0.70551; (Pb-207/Pb-204)(i) = 15.5439-15.6158; (Pb-208/Pb-204)(i) = 38.3724-39.3623; (Pb-206/Pb-204)(i) = 18.4024-19.6744].;They have significantly more radiogenic lead isotopic compositions than phiolitic rocks, and fit the geochemical compositions of hot-spot derived lavas mixed with various proportions of oceanic mantle. In addition, this oceanic + plateau sequence is covered by Upper Cretaceous calc-alkaline lavas: (La/Yb)(N) = 2.07-2.31; (Nb/Th)(N) = 0.08-0.15; (Nd-144/Nd-143)(i) = 0.51271-0.51282; (Sr-117/Sr-116)(i) = 0.70452-0.70478), which were likely formed in a supra-subduction zone environment. During the late Lower to early Upper Cretaceous period, hot-spot related magmatism related to plateau events may have led to significant crustal thickening in various zones of the Middle-eastern Neotethys. These processes have likely hindered subduction of some of the hot and thickened oceanic crust segments, and allowed them to be obducted over small continental blocks such as the South Armenian Block.
ISSN: 0024-4937

hal-00443855
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00443855
DOI : 10.1016/j.lithos.2009.02.006

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) are widely-distributed environmental contaminants known to exert toxic effects in various tissues, including placenta. PAHs have notably been shown to inhibit proliferation of trophoblastic cells. The present study was designed to determine whether PAHs can concomitantly affect differentiated functions of trophoblastic cells. BaP was found to induce expression and secretion of β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) in human trophoblastic BeWo cells. The PAH also increased mRNA expressions of other trophoblastic differentiation markers, including those of the steroid metabolism enzymes CYP19A1 and HSD11B2 and of the fusogenic protein syncytin-2; in parallel, it triggered syncytialisation of BeWo cells. BaP-mediated β-hCG and syncytin-2 up-regulation was prevented by co-treatment by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) antagonist CH-223191 or by knocking-down AhR expression through siRNA transfection. However, the potent AhR agonist 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) failed to induce expression of β-hCG and syncytin-2, indicating that activation of the AhR pathway, known to be implicated in most, if not all, effects of PAHs, was required, but not sufficient. Interestingly, the p53 signaling pathway was activated by BaP, but not by TCDD, in BeWo cells and co-treatment by the p53 inhibitor pifithrin-α or siRNAs-mediated silencing of p53 prevented up-regulation of β-hCG and syncytin-2 induced by BaP. Taken together, these data demonstrate that BaP induces differentiation of placental trophoblastic BeWo cells in an AhR- and p53-dependent manner.
ISSN: 0009-2797

hal-00982355
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00982355
DOI : 10.1016/j.cbi.2013.12.004
PUBMED : 24361490

Éditeur(s) : Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd
Résumé : The environment is impacted by natural and anthropogenic disturbances that occur at different spatial and temporal scales, and that lead to major changes and even disequilibria when exceeding the resiliency capacities of the ecosystem. With an annual mean flow of 1700 m(3) s(-1), the Rhone River is the largest of the western Mediterranean basin. Its annual solid discharges vary between 2 and 20 Mt, with flood events responsible for more than 70% of these amounts. In the marine coastal area, close to the mouth, both flocculation and aggregation lead to the formation of fine-grained deposits, i.e. the prodelta. This area is characterized by sediment accumulation rates up to 20-50 cm yr(-1) and high accumulations of particle reactive contaminants such as various man-made radionuclides released into the river by nuclear facilities or arising form prior atmospheric nuclear tests (1954-1980) and the Chernobyl accident (April 1986). This prodelta, however, cannot be considered as a permanent repository for particle reactive pollutants since it is subjected to reworking processes. Sediment dynamics had to be linked to the influences of hydrodynamic and atmospheric events such as high flow rates or storms close to the Rhone River mouth. An experiment was carried out during the winter 2006 based on the deployment of two ADCPs and six altimeters at the Grand Rhone mouth for several months. This type of installation has never been used before in this area because of the hard meteorological conditions and the strong fishing activities. However, results showed pluricentimetric rises of the sedimentary level just after river flood events and decreases during storms, generated by southeast winds. Radiotracers and grain size depth profiles helped to characterise the studied events and to establish inventories of sediments and radionuclides. A cruise (CARMEX) was carried out during this same period to collect water samples, suspended particles and sediment cores. The results enabled us to link both river flow and wind characteristics to events recorded on the sea floor, i.e. resuspension, accumulation, consolidation, etc. Deposits of 11 cm of sediments were estimated during flood periods and bottom shear stresses up to 5 N m(-2) were calculated during sediment erosion phases. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Continental Shelf Research (0278-4343) (Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd), 2010-05 , Vol. 30 , N. 9 , P. 1095-1107

Droits : 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00006/11695/8479.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.csr.2010.02.015
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00006/11695/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley-VCH Verlag
Résumé : International audience
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-dependent transcription factor that mediates immunosuppression caused by a variety of environmental contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or dioxins. Recent evidence suggests that AhR plays an important role in T-cell-mediated immune responses by affecting the polarization and differentiation of activated T cells. However, the regulation of AhR expression in activated T cells remains poorly characterized. In the present study, we used purified human T cells stimulated with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 Abs to investigate the effect of T-cell activation on AhR mRNA and protein expression. The expression of AhR mRNA increased significantly and rapidly after T-cell activation, identifying AhR as an immediate-early activation gene. AhR upregulation occurred in all of the T-cell subtypes, and is associated with its nuclear translocation and induction of the cytochromes P-450 1A1 and 1B1 mRNA expression in the absence of exogenous signals. In addition, the use of an AhR antagonist or siRNA-mediated AhR knockdown significantly inhibited IL-22 expression, suggesting that expression and functional activation of AhR is necessary for the secretion of IL-22 by activated T cells. In conclusion, our data support the idea that AhR is a major player in T-cell physiology.
ISSN: 0014-2980

hal-01063944
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01063944
DOI : 10.1002/eji.201343920
PUBMED : 24549985

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : Bioaccumulation is difficult to document because responses differ among chemical compounds, with environmental conditions, and physiological processes characteristic of each species. We use a mechanistic model, based on the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory, to take into account this complexity and study factors impacting accumulation of organic pollutants in fish through ontogeny. The bioaccumulation model proposed is a comprehensive approach that relates evolution of hake PCB contamination to physiological information about the fish, such as diet, metabolism, reserve and reproduction status. The species studied is the European hake (Merluccius merluccius, L. 1758). The model is applied to study the total concentration and the lipid normalised concentration of 4 PCB congeners in male and female hakes from the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean sea) and the Bay of Biscay (NE Atlantic ocean). Outputs of the model compare consistently to measurements over the life span of fish. Simulation results clearly demonstrate the relative effects of food contamination, growth and reproduction on the PCB bioaccumulation in hake. The same species living in different habitats and exposed to different PCB prey concentrations exhibit marked difference in the body accumulation of PCBs. At the adult stage, female hakes have a lower PCB concentration compared to males for a given length. We successfully simulated these sex-specific PCB concentrations by considering two mechanisms: a higher energy allocation to growth for females and a transfer of PCBs from the female to its eggs when allocating lipids from reserve to eggs. Finally, by its mechanistic description of physiological processes, the model is relevant for other species and sets the stage for a mechanistic understanding of toxicity and ecological effects of organic contaminants in marine organisms.
Journal of Sea Research (1385-1101) (Elsevier), 2009-10 , Vol. 62 , N. 2-3 , P. 124-134

Droits : 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/publication-6789.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.seares.2009.02.006
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6789/

Résumé : Kepone contamination of French West Indies marine environments is scarcely known. Contaminated soils particles are carried by rivers from terrestrial zones to the coastal marine sediments where they settle. Thus coastal sediments potential function as a sink for them, but also as a source of contamination for the marine biota. Therefore, they can be of major importance both in relation with the origin of the catchment area contamination and with the potential impact of this contamination on the benthic ecosystems. The objectives of this study are to characterize the marine deposits in order to define the spatial extent of the contamination and to determine the temporal stages of this contamination in the superficial sedimentary column (about one half-meter deep). Two neighbouring bays were chosen along the south-atlantic coasts of the Martinique Island, the Robert Bay, where different previous studies have been already performed, and the Galion Bay, which also present important environmental concerns. The results (i) confirm the general low rate of kepone contamination in the Robert Bay superficial sediments, while the influence of the river is more pronounced in the Galion Bay for which sediment samples from the proximity of the river outfall are more contaminated, (ii) relativize the role of organic matter associated to the finer particle in the little contaminated marine sediments (iii) and at last, differentiate strongly the contamination of the two bays due to specific characteristic parameters. So, it apparears that the sedimentary dynamics and mineralogical cohorts undoubtedly should explain the discrepancies in the contamination of the sediments between the two bays, also characterized by very different humus-clayed compounds in the soils of each catchment basin.
La connaissance de la contamination des milieux marins antillais par la chlordécone est fragmentaire. Or, la fonction potentielle de ‘puits’, mais également de ‘source’, qu’assurent les sédiments littoraux suite au transfert de la molécule des sols terrestres jusqu’aux fonds marins devrait leur confèrer un rôle majeur dans leur relation avec les écosystèmes benthiques comme dans leur connexion avec les bassins versants correspondants. Du fait de la méconnaissance sédimentologique de ces milieux, le double objectif de la présente étude était de caractériser ces fonds afin de cerner l’extension spatiale de la contamination en chlordécone et de déterminer les phases temporelles de cette dernière dans la colonne sédimentaire superficielle (environ quarante premiers centimètres). Les zones d’étude choisies sont deux baies sud-atlantiques martiniquaises adjacentes, le havre du Robert, déjà retenu comme zone-atelier pour des études antérieures sur la dynamique du bassin versant, et la baie du Galion faisant l’objet de préoccupations environnementales et de travaux scientifiques prévus sur le bassin versant attenant. Les résultats obtenus conduisent à : (i) confirmer le faible taux de contamination générale des sédiments du havre du Robert, alors que l’influence de la rivière à débit significatif de la baie du Galion marque en ce sens les sédiments proches de son exutoire ; (ii) relativiser le rôle de la matière organique liée aux particules les plus fines dans cette faible contamination marine des sédiments et enfin (iii) différencier fortement la contamination des deux baies à partir de paramètres caractéristiques. Les dynamiques sédimentaires et les cortèges minéralogiques constituent sans aucun doute des pistes explicatives aux différences de contamination des sédiments entre les deux baies dont les bassins versants sont également caractérisés par des sols présentant des composés argilo-humiques très différents.

Droits : 2012 Ifremer
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00071/18247/15810.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00071/18247/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
Among persisting questions on bone calcification, a major one is the link between protein expression and mineral deposition. A cell culture system is here proposed opening new integrative studies on biomineralization, improving our knowledge on the role played by non-collagenous proteins in bone. This experimental in vitro model consisted in human primary osteoblasts cultured for 60 days at the surface of a 3D collagen scaffold mimicking an osteoid matrix. Various techniques were used to analyze the results at the cellular and molecular level (adhesion and viability tests, histology and electron microscopy, RT-and qPCR) and to characterize the mineral phase (histological staining, EDX, ATG, SAED and RMN). On long term cultures human bone cells seeded on the osteoid-like matrix displayed a clear osteoblast phenotype as revealed by the osteoblast-like morphology, expression of specific protein such as alkaline phosphatase and expression of eight genes classically considered as osteoblast markers, including BGLAP, COL1A1, and BMP2. Von Kossa and alizarine red allowed us to identify divalent calcium ions at the surface of the matrix, EDX revealed the correct Ca/P ratio, and SAED showed the apatite crystal diffraction pattern. In addition RMN led to the conclusion that contaminant phases were absent and that the hydration state of the mineral was similar to fresh bone. A temporal correlation was established between quantified gene expression of DMP1 and IBSP, and the presence of hydroxyapatite, confirming the contribution of these proteins to the mineralization process. In parallel a difference was observed in the expression pattern of SPP1 and BGLAP, which questioned their attributed role in the literature. The present model opens new experimental possibilities to study spatio-temporal relations between bone cells, dense collagen scaffolds, NCPs and hydroxyapatite mineral deposition. It also emphasizes the importance of high collagen density environment in bone cell physiology.
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-01142641
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01142641
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01142641/document
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01142641/file/Silvent_2013_Collagen.pdf
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0057344

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD University of Chicago Press
Résumé : International audience
Contrasting tectonic reconstructions of the westernmost Mediterranean have been proposed to explain the origin of the Alboran marine basin contemporaneously with Cenozoic convergence between the African and European plates. Cr-rich pyroxenites in the Ronda massif record the geochemical processes occurring in the subcontinental mantle of the Alboran domain in the Late Oligocene, thus constraining the geodynamic scenario of Cenozoic extension in the western Mediterranean lithosphere. Clinopyroxene in intrusive Cr-rich websterite dikes crosscutting the Ronda peridotite is strongly depleted in Nb-Ta and enriched in light rare earth elements, as typically observed in arc magmas, and is in trace element equilibrium with Neogene subduction-related lavas from the western and central Mediterranean. Sr-Nd-Pb radiogenic isotopes indicate that the mantle source of the Ronda pyroxenite dikes was contaminated by a subduction component released by detrital sediments likely deposited in passive continental margins. Rather than convective removal or delamination of the lithospheric root, our data strongly support Alboran geodynamic models that envisage slab rollback as the tectonic mechanism responsible for the Miocene lithospheric thinning. The Ronda Cr-rich pyroxenite dikes represent the earliest unambiguous manifestation of subduction-related magmatism in the western Mediterranean and testify to the involvement of terrigenous sediments in the primitive stages of subduction.
ISSN: 0022-1376

hal-00745853
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00745853
DOI : 10.1086/663875

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Nature Publishing Group
Résumé : International audience
Cancer cells display alterations in many cellular processes. One core hallmark of cancer is the Warburg effect which is a glycolytic reprogramming that allows cells to survive and proliferate. Although the contributions of environmental contaminants to cancer development are widely accepted, the underlying mechanisms have to be clarified. Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), the prototype of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, exhibits genotoxic and carcinogenic effects, and it is a human carcinogen according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. In addition to triggering apoptotic signals, B[a]P may induce survival signals, both of which are likely to be involved in cancer promotion. We previously suggested that B[a]P-induced mitochondrial dysfunctions, especially membrane hyperpolarization, might trigger cell survival signaling in rat hepatic epithelial F258 cells. Here, we further characterized these dysfunctions by focusing on energy metabolism. We found that B[a]P promoted a metabolic reprogramming. Cell respiration decreased and lactate production increased. These changes were associated with alterations in the tricarboxylic acid cycle which likely involve a dysfunction of the mitochondrial complex II. The glycolytic shift relied on activation of the Na+/H+ exchanger 1 (NHE1) and appeared to be a key feature in B[a]P-induced cell survival related to changes in cell phenotype (epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and cell migration).
ISSN: 2045-2322

Droits : http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
hal-01359569
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01359569
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01359569/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01359569/file/The%20environmental%20carcinogen-CCBY%20%281%29.pdf
DOI : 10.1038/srep30776

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Society of Clinical Oncology
Résumé : International audience
PURPOSE: Determining whether environmental estrogens are associated with the risk of prostate cancer may have important implications for our general understanding of this disease. The estrogenic insecticide chlordecone was used extensively in the French West Indies, contaminating the population for more than 30 years. We analyzed the relationship between exposure to chlordecone and the risk of prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We investigated 623 men with prostate cancer and 671 controls. Exposure was analyzed according to case-control status, using either current plasma concentration or a cumulative exposure index based on years of exposure. We genotyped two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs3829125 and rs17134592) in the gene encoding chlordecone reductase. RESULTS: We found a significant increase in the risk of prostate cancer with increasing plasma chlordecone concentration (odds ratio [OR], 1.77; 95% CI, 1.21 to 2.58 for the highest tertile of values above the limit of detection [LD]; P trend = .002) and for cumulative exposure index (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.88 for the highest quartile; P trend = .004). Stronger associations were observed among those with a positive family history of prostate cancer and among those who had lived in a Western country. The rs3829125 and rs17134592 allele variants were in complete linkage disequilibrium and were found at low frequency (0.04). Among subjects with plasma chlordecone concentrations above the LD, carriers of the allele variants had a higher risk of prostate cancer (OR, 5.23; 95% CI, 0.82 to 33.32). CONCLUSION: These findings support the hypothesis that exposure to environmental estrogens increases the risk of prostate cancer.
ISSN: 0732-183X

inserm-00518099
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00518099
DOI : 10.1200/JCO.2009.27.2153
PUBMED : 20566993

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Whole-rock concentrations of Se and Te were determined in 53 peridotite samples collected in orogenic bodies from the Eastern Pyrenees, including the Lherz massif (33 samples), the type-locality of Iherzolite. Orogenic Iherzolites tectonically emplaced into the continental crust escaped devolatilisation that may strongly alter concentrations of those volatile trace elements in basalt-hosted peridotite xenoliths. The Se and Te concentration ranges (<3.5-100.7 ppb; <1-11 ppb) are consistent with the few analyses of mantle samples yet available, yet extending to higher Se concentrations. In-situ analyses performed by LAM-ICPMS on base metal sulfides indicate that the Se budget is controlled by sulfides whereas a large fraction of Te (50 +/- 30%) does not reside in sulfides. The missing fraction is accounted for by fractional crystallization of Pt-Pd tellurides from Cu-Ni sulfide melts. A maximum of one third of the S budget of Eastern Pyrenean peridotites was added by assimilation of crustal sulfides, which crystallized as pyrite. Disregarding those contaminated samples, some features of the Se and Te systematics (e.g. bivariate plots vs. fertility index) cannot be explained by partial melting processes. The best fit for 33 peridotites (mostly from Lherz) yields higher than chondritic S/Se (3.1213 +/- 500; r(2) = 0.96) for near chondritic Se/Te (8.6 +/- 2; r(2) = 0.9). Our study suggest that such superchondritic S/Se ratios are better explained by petrogenetic processes involving refertilization of harzburgitic lithosphere by metal (Cu,Ni)-rich sulfide melts precipitated along with clinopyroxene and Al-spinel from silicate melts en-route to the surface.
ISSN: 0009-2541

hal-00544577
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00544577
DOI : 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2010.09.007

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Environmental context The safeguarding of water supplies and drinking water is a major issue when considering human health risk management. In this context, an automatic and on-site fractionation system for the detection of organic contaminants has been developed. The main goal of this system is to establish an initial diagnosis by identifying a class of substances involved in a case of pollution. Abstract This paper proposes a new approach for the preconcentration, fractionation, prediction and detection of organic micropollutants in water. The main aim of this study was to implement an innovative fractionation method and a prediction model based on the physicochemical properties of compounds and interactions with the sorbent of solid-phase extraction cartridges. Two sorbents (Strata-SAX and Oasis-HLB) and three specific eluting solvents (mixture of methanol and sodium chloride and mixtures of acetonitrile and ultrapure water) were used to separate organic compounds into five specific fractions according to their physicochemical properties (anionic and cationic or neutral compounds with various polarity). More than 75 molecules (43 molecules individually studied and a mixture with 43 molecules, including 11 molecules individually studied) including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, with various properties were studied, and the results showed that the elution fraction can be predicted for more than 85% of the compounds. This methodology could simplify the analytical chain by reducing detailed analysis on limited categories of compounds, and could be used for a rapid and on-site screening of organic compounds. © CSIRO 2016.
Environmental Chemistry

hal-01373945
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01373945
DOI : 10.1071/EN15135

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
: Human exposure to xenobiotics is usually estimated by indirect methods. Biological monitoring has emerged during the last decade to improve assessment of exposure. However, biomonitoring is still an analytical challenge, because the amounts of sample available are often very small yet analysis must be as thorough and sensitive as possible. The purpose of this work was to develop an untargeted "exposomics" approach by using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS), which was applied to the characterization of pesticide metabolites in urine from pregnant women from a French epidemiological cohort. An upgradable list of pesticides commonly used on different crops, with their metabolites (more than 400 substances) was produced. Raw MS data were then processed to extract signals from these substances. Metabolites were identified by tandem mass spectrometry; putative identifications were validated by comparison with standards and metabolites generated by experiments on animals. Finally, signals of identified compounds were statistically analyzed by use of multivariate methods. This enabled discrimination of exposure groups, defined by indirect methods, on the basis of four metabolites from two fungicides (azoxystrobin, fenpropimorph) used in cereal production. This original approach applied to pesticide exposure can be extended to a variety of contaminant families for upstream evaluation of exposure from food and the environment.
ISSN: 1618-2642

hal-00875889
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00875889
DOI : 10.1007/s00216-013-7136-2
PUBMED : 23892877

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that reproductive abnormalities are increasing in frequency in both human population and among wild fauna. This increase is probably related to exposure to toxic contaminants in the environment. The use of sentinel species to raise alarms relating to human reproductive health has been strongly recommended. However, no simultaneous studies at the same site have been carried out in recent decades to evaluate the utility of wild animals for monitoring human reproductive disorders. We carried out a joint study in Guadeloupe assessing the reproductive function of workers exposed to pesticides in banana plantations and of male wild rats living in these plantations. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed to assess semen quality and reproductive hormones in banana workers and in men working in non-agricultural sectors. These reproductive parameters were also assessed in wild rats captured in the plantations and were compared with those in rats from areas not directly polluted by humans. RESULTS: No significant difference in sperm characteristics and/or hormones was found between workers exposed and not exposed to pesticide. By contrast, rats captured in the banana plantations had lower testosterone levels and gonadosomatic indices than control rats. CONCLUSION: Wild rats seem to be more sensitive than humans to the effects of pesticide exposure on reproductive health. We conclude that the concept of sentinel species must be carefully validated as the actual nature of exposure may varies between human and wild species as well as the vulnerable time period of exposure and various ecological factors.
Environmental health : a global access science source [electronic resource]

hal-00669505
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00669505
DOI : 10.1186/1476-069X-7-40
PUBMED : 18667078