Pollution characteristics and ecological risk assessment of glucocorticoids in the Jiangsu section of the Yangtze River Basin

Highlights

● Seven glucocorticoids in Jiangsu section of Yangtze River Basin were detected.

● The distributions of those glucocorticoids changed with season and locations.

● The levels of glucocorticoids in Jiangsu are higher than other regions in China.

● Prednison exhibits the highest ecological risk in the studied water environment.

Abstract

Glucocorticoids, which are one of the most extensively used steroid hormones, are typical endocrine disruptors. In recent years, glucocorticoids have been widely detected in surface waters such as rivers and lakes, but there are relatively few studies focusing on their ecological risk assessment. In this study, the pollution characteristics of seven glucocorticoids were studied in the Jiangsu section of the Yangtze River Basin, and ecological risk assessments were performed using the risk quotient method. The results showed that seven glucocorticoids were detected at different levels at eight sampling sites. Among these glucocorticoids, prednisone had the highest value of 238.27 ng/L in the wet season, with pollution levels significantly higher than those reported in other areas. The ecological risk evaluation showed that prednisone, prednisolone, dexamethasone, and hydrocortisone acetate all had risk quotient values greater than 1 in the studied water environment, posing a high ecological risk. This study provides a scientific foundation for the in-depth study of the pollution characteristics and ecological risk of glucocorticoids in water bodies in the Jiangsu section of the Yangtze River Basin.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Yangtze River Basin / Glucocorticoids / Pollution characteristics / Ecological risk assessment

References

[1] Ammann A A, Macikova P, Groh K J, Schirmer K, Suter J F. (2014). LC-MS/MS determination of potential endocrine disruptors of cortico signalling in rivers and wastewaters. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 406(29): 7653–7665

[2] AnackerC, Zunszain P A, CarvalhoL A, ParianteC M (2011). The glucocorticoid receptor: pivot of depression and of antidepressant treatment? Psychoneuroendocrinology, 36(3): 415–425

[3] BaoY(2019). A study on the EU EDCs regulations and its impact on China. Thesis for the Master Degree. Shanghai: Shanghai Jiaotong University

[4] Boxall A B A, Rudd M A, Brooks B W, Caldwell D J, Choi K, Hickmann S, Innes E, OstapykK, Staveley J P, VerslyckeT, et al. (2012). Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the environment: What are the big questions? Environmental Health Perspectives, 120(9): 1221–1229

[5] Bu Q W, Cao Y B, Yu G, He X F, Zhang H D, Sun J Y, Yun M Q, Cao Z G. (2020). Identifying targets of potential concern by a screening level ecological risk assessment of human use pharmaceuticals in China. Chemosphere, 246: 125818

[6] Chang H, Wu S M, Hu J Y, Asami M, Kunikane S. (2008). Trace analysis of androgens and progestogens in environmental waters by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography. A, 1195(1−2): 44–51

[7] Cole A R, Brooks B W. (2023). Global occurrence of synthetic glucocorticoids and glucocorticoid receptor agonistic activity, and aquatic hazards in effluent discharges and freshwater systems. Environmental Pollution, 329: 121638

[8] Combarnous Y. (2017). Endocrine disruptor compounds (EDCs) and agriculture: the case of pesticides. Comptes Rendus Biologies, 340(9−10): 406–409

[9] Coutinho A E, Chapman K E. (2011). The anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects of glucocorticoids, recent developments and mechanistic insights. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 335(1): 2–13

[10] Fan J J, Wang S, Tang J P, Dai Y N, Wang L, Long S X, He W X, Liu S X, Wang J X, Yang Y. (2018). Spatio-temporal patterns and environmental risk of endocrine disrupting chemicals in the Liuxi River. Environmental Sciences (Ruse), 39(3): 1053–1064

[11] Fu Q, Malchi T, Carter L J, Li H, Gan J, Chefetz B. (2019). Pharmaceutical and personal care products: from wastewater treatment into agro-food systems. Environmental Science & Technology, 53(24): 14083–14090

[12] García-Galán M J, Arashiro L, Santos L H, Insa S, Rodríguez-Mozaz S, Barceló D, Ferrer I, Garfí I. (2020). Fate of priority pharmaceuticals and their main metabolites and transformation products in microalgae-based wastewater treatment systems. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 390: 121771

[13] Gilmour K M, Dibattista J, Thomas J B. (2005). Physiological causes and consequences of social status in salmonid fish. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 45(2): 263–273

[14] Guiloski I C, Ribas J L C, Pereira L S, Neves A P P, Silva de Assis H C. (2015). Effects of trophic exposure to dexamethasone and diclofenac in freshwater fish. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 114(103): 204–211

[15] Guo W J, Chang H, Sun D Z, Wu F C, Yang H. (2015). Simultaneous analysis of 18 glucocorticoids in surface water. Environmental Sciences (Ruse), 40(11): 4879–4888

[16] Horby P, Lim W S, Emberson J R, Mafham M, Bell J L, Linsell L, Staplin L, Brightling C, Ustianowski A, Elmahi E. . (2021). Dexamethasone in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. New England Journal of Medicine, 384(8): 693–704

[17] Hu G J, Sun C, Yang N M, Chen S L, Juan L I, Wang H, Zhang Y. (2009). Health risk assessment on pollutants in the main section of the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province. Resources and Environment in the Yangtze Basin, 18(8): 771–775

[18] Jager C D, Bornman M S, Oosthuizen J M C. (2010). The effect of pnonylphenol on the fertility potential of male rats after gestational, lactational and direct exposure. Andrologia, 31(2): 107–113

[19] Jerez-Cepa I, Gorissen M, Mancera J M, Ruiz-Jarabo I. (2019). What can we learn from glucocorticoid administration in fish? Effects of cortisol and dexamethasone on intermediary metabolism of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A, Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 231: 1–10

[20] La Merrill M A, Vandenberg L N, Smith M T, Goodson W, Browne P, Patisaul H B, Guyton K Z, Kortenkamp A, Cogliano V J, Woodruff T J. . (2020). Consensus on the key characteristics of endocrine-disrupting chemicals as a basis for hazard identification. Nature Reviews. Endocrinology, 16(1): 45–57

[21] LaLone C A, Villeneuve D L, Olmstead A W, Medlock E K, Kahl M D, Jensen K M, Durhan E J, Makynen E A, Blanksma C A, Cavallin J E. . (2012). Effects of a glucocorticoid receptor agonist, dexamethasone, on fathead minnow reproduction, growth and development. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 31(3): 611–622

[22] Liu S, Chen H, Zhou G J, Liu S S, Yue W Z, Yu S, Sun K F, Cheng H F, Ying G G, Xu X R. (2015). Occurrence, source analysis and risk assessment of androgens, glucocorticoids and progestagens in the Hailing Bay region, South China Sea. Science of the Total Environment, 536: 99–107

[23] Liu S, Ying G G, Zhao J L, Chen F, Yang B, Zhou L J, Lai H J. (2011). Trace analysis of 28 steroids in surface water, wastewater and sludge samples by rapid resolution liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography. A, 1218(10): 1367–1378

[24] Liu Y H, Zhang S H, Ji G X, Wu S M, Guo R X, Cheng J, Yan Z Y, Chen J Q. (2017). Occurrence, distribution and risk assessment of suspected endocrine-disrupting chemicals in surface water and suspended particulate matter of Yangtze River (Nanjing section). Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 135: 90–97

[25] Luo Z F, Tu Y, Li H P, Qiu B, Liu Y, Yang Z G. (2019). Endocrine-disrupting compounds in the Xiangjiang River of China: spatio-temporal distribution, source apportionment and risk assessment. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 167: 476–484

[26] Miao Q K, Ji W X, Dong H, Zhang Y. (2025). Occurrence of phthalate esters in the yellow and Yangtze rivers of china: risk assessment and source apportionment. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 149: 628–637

[27] Miller K A, Kenter L W, Breton T S, Berlinsky D L. (2019). The effects of stress, cortisol administration and cortisol inhibition on black sea bass (Centropristis striata) sex differentiation. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A, Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 227: 154–160

[28] Patchev V K, Hayashi S, Orikasa C, Almeida O. (1995). Implications of estrogen-dependent brain organization for gender differences in hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal regulation. FASEB Journal, 9(5): 419–423

[29] Rutkoski C F, Grott S C, Israel N G, Guerreiro F C, Carneiro F E, Bitschinski D, Warsneski A, Horn P A, Lima D, Bastolla C L V. . (2024). Prednisone and prednisolone effects on development, blood, biochemical and histopathological markers of Aquarana catesbeianus tadpoles. Aquatic Toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 268: 106869

[30] Schriks M, van der Linden S C, Stoks P, van der Burg B, Puijker L, de Voogt P, Heringa M B. (2013). Occurrence of glucocorticogenic activity in various surface waters in The Netherlands. Chemosphere, 93(2): 450–454

[31] Tan R J, Liu R X, Li B, Liu X L, Li Z S. (2018). Typical endocrine disrupting compounds in rivers of northeast China: occurrence, partitioning and risk assessment. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 75(2): 213–223

[32] Wang W F, Ndungu A W, Wang J. (2016). Monitoring of endocrine-disrupting compounds in surface water and sediments of the Three Gorges reservoir region, China. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 71(4): 509–517

[33] Wang Y W, Li Y, Hu A Y, Rashid A, Ashfaq M, Wang Y H, Wang H J, Luo H Q, Yu C P, Sun Q. (2018). Monitoring, mass balance and fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in seven wastewater treatment plants in Xiamen City, China. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 354: 81–90

[34] Xiang Y Y, Rene E R, Lun X X, Ma W F. (2020). Enhanced reductive defluorination and inhibited infiltration of fluoroglucocorticoids in a river receiving reclaimed water amended by nano zero-valent iron modified biochar: performance and mechanisms. Bioresource Technology, 306: 123127

[35] Yang L, Zhang J N, Xu M, Peng T, Shi W J, Shi Y J, Ying G G. (2019). Contamination characteristics and ecological risk assessment of androgens, glucocorticoids and progesterone in the Liusha Bay, South China Sea. Environmental Sciences (Ruse), 40(11): 4879–4888

[36] Yi M L, Fang Y, Hu G P, Liu S F, Ni J R, Liu T. (2022). Distinct community assembly processes underlie significant spatiotemporal dynamics of abundant and rare bacterioplankton in the Yangtze River. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 16(6): 79

[37] Yin G J, Cao L P, Du J L, Jia R, Kitazawa T, Kubota A, Teraoka H. (2017). Dexamethasone-induced hepatomegaly and steatosis in larval zebrafish. Journal of Toxicological Sciences, 42(4): 455–459

[38] Ying G G, Williams B, Kookana R. (2002). Environmental fate of alkylphenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates: a review. Environment International, 28(3): 215–226

[39] Zhang W P, Guo C S, Lv J P, Li X, Xu J. (2022). Organophosphate esters in sediment from Taihu Lake, China: bridging the gap between riverine sources and lake sinks. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 16(3): 30

[40] Zhao J L, Ying G G, Wei D B, Ren M Z. (2011). Ecological risk assessment methodology of toxic pollutants in surfacewater and sediments: a review. Asian Journal of Ecotoxicology, 6(6): 577–588

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Natural Science Fund for Young Scholars of Jiangsu Province, China (No. BK20230118), the Special Fund of Chinese Central Government for Basic Scientific Research Operations in Commonweal Research Institute (No. GYZX220302), and the Fund by the Institute of Carbon Peaking & Carbon Neutrality of Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences (Nos. ZX2023SZY058 and ZX2024SZY054).

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that they have unknown competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2024 Higher Education Press 2024