Mutagenicity, Genotoxicity, and Estrogenic Activity of River Porewaters

We investigated mutagenicity, genotoxicity, and estrogenic activity in the porewaters of two river basins in southern Italy that had different features. Three samples from each site were collected in different seasons from 7 sites for a total of 21 samples. Mutagenicity was measured with the Ames test with and without metabolic activation (S9) using Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 strains. Genotoxicity was measured with two tests: one involved a chromophore that detected DNA damage in Escherichia coli PQ37 (SOS chromotest), and the other measured micronuclei formation in the root cells of Vicia faba. Estrogenic activity was measured with a yeast-based estrogen receptor assay and an MCF-7 cell-based, estrogen-sensitive proliferation assay. We also applied chemical analyses to detect alkylphenols, pesticides, natural and synthetic hormones, and heavy metals. The porewaters of both river sediments showed mutagenic/genotoxic activity on V. faba test and Ames test, the latter both with and without S9 liver fraction. The SOS chromotest without metabolic activation was not sufficiently sensitive to detect genotoxicity of the porewaters, but the SOS DNA repair system in E. coli PQ37 was activated in the presence of S9 mix. Good correlations were found between mutagenicity/genotoxicity and the concentration of cadmium and between estrogenic activity and the presence of copper. This study assessed the chemical concentrations of some bioavailable pollutants in porewater and detected the overall effects of multiple pollutants that contributed to mutagenicity, genotoxicity, and estrogenic activity of these two basin porewaters, thus increasing our understanding of the environmental consequences of polluted aquatic ecosystems.