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Invertebrate Endocrine Toxicology: Update and Prospects for the Future
Gerald A. LeBlanc, PhD
Department of Biological Sciences
North Carolina State University
Raleigh NC
The Past…
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Endocrine Disruption in Invertebrates: Endocrinology, Testing, and Assessment. 1999. SETAC Press.
Inse
cts
Crusta
cean
s
Echino
derm
s
Moll
usks
Anneli
ds
Rotife
rs
Nemat
odes
Cnidar
ians
Chord
ata
Other
arth
.0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Pag
es (
#)
A
A. Endocrinology
Inse
cts
Crusta
cean
s
Echino
derm
s
Moll
usks
Anneli
ds
Rotife
rs
Nemat
odes
Cnida
rians
Chord
ata
Other
arth
.0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Pag
es (
#)
A
B. Endocrine Toxicology
Challenges to the hazard assessment of endocrine toxicants in invertebrates
• Large number of diverse groups of organisms.
• Lack of knowledge of the endocrinology among these groups.
• Insufficient knowledge on the endocrine targets of chemical insult.
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Research Needs
• Species Expansion: Increased coverage of the various groups of invertebrates in EDC research.
• New Endocrinology: Discovery of novel endocrine pathways, new endocrine targets, linkages between endocrinology, toxicology, and physiological processes.
• Expansion of Known Pathways.
The Present…SETAC Europe 29 session: Endocrine Disruption in Invertebrates: Historical Perspectives, New Developments, and Key Research Needs
Topic Summary
• Species Expansion: 5%
• New Endocrinology: 10%
• Expansion of Known Pathways: 40%
Status quo: 45%
Inse
cts
Crust
acea
ns
Echino
derm
s
Moll
usks
Anneli
ds
Rotife
rs
Nemat
odes
Cnider
ians
Chord
ata
Other
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Pre
sent
atio
ns (
%)
A
Species Expansion
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The Future…
• Challenge: Hold another invertebrate endocrine toxicology session at SETAC Europe 2020.
• At this meeting:• Double the number of invertebrate groups represented.
• Toxicologists expand the species with which they work.• Toxicologist partner with “specialists” to facilitate expansion of the number of invertebrate groups used in toxicology.
• Emphasize novel endocrine pathways, molecular targets, and endpoints.
• Develop strategies in which knowledge can be used to traverse phyletic boundaries• Use species sensitivity distributions to inform on which species should be evaluated with which chemicals.
Cumulative distribution of Chronic Values (CV) for tributyltin (TBT) to several invertebrate species
1E-3 0.01 0.1 1 100
20
40
60
80
100
Cum
ulat
ive
CV
(%
)
TBT (g/L)
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Cumulative distribution of Chronic Values (CV) for tributyltin (TBT) to several invertebrate species
1E-3 0.01 0.1 1 100
20
40
60
80
100
Cum
ulat
ive
CV
(%
)
TBT (g/L)
Gastropods
Cumulative distribution of Chronic Values (CV) for tributyltin (TBT) to several invertebrate species
1E-3 0.01 0.1 1 100
20
40
60
80
100
Cum
ulat
ive
CV
(%
)
TBT (g/L)
Gastropods
Bivalve &Crustacean
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Cumulative distribution of Chronic Values (CV) for tributyltin (TBT) to several invertebrate species
1E-3 0.01 0.1 1 100
20
40
60
80
100
Cum
ulat
ive
CV
(%
)
TBT (g/L)
Gastropods
Bivalve &Crustacean Annelids
Cumulative distribution of Chronic Values (CV) for tributyltin (TBT) to several invertebrate species.
1E-3 0.01 0.1 1 100
20
40
60
80
100
Cum
ulat
ive
CV
(%
)
TBT (g/L)
Gastropods
Bivalve &Crustacean Annelids
Echinoderms
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Cumulative distribution of Chronic Values (CV) for tributyltin (TBT) to several invertebrate species.
1E-3 0.01 0.1 1 100
20
40
60
80
100
Cum
ulat
ive
CV
(%
)
TBT (g/L)
Gastropods
Bivalve &Crustacean Annelids
Echinoderms
Chordata
Status of Endocrine Disruption Research in Invertebrates
1998 2019