Effects of prochloraz and ethinylestradiol on sexual development in Rana temporaria.

A wide range of environmental xenobiotics that mimic hormones (endocrine-disrupting chemicals) may cause alterations in sexual development or reproductive function in aquatic organisms such as amphibians when exposed during early sensitive stages. We exposed tadpoles of the Common frog, Rana temporaria, from hatch to metamorphosis, to two different endocrine disruptors, the synthetic estrogen 17 alpha-ethinylestradiol and the fungicide prochloraz. The object of the study was to assess the effects of these two compounds on the sexual development of the tadpoles by investigating sex ratio, gonadal development, sex steroid concentrations and vitellogenin induction. Histology revealed that a large percentage of all groups were juvenile hermaphrodites at metamorphosis. Tadpoles exposed to 115 and 251 microg/L prochloraz showed a significant increased proportion of males. However, the testosterone concentrations were depressed in those groups. Ethinylestradiol in concentrations of 77 and 159 ng/L EE(2) increased whole-body calcium levels in a dose-dependent manner indicating induction of the egg yolk protein vitellogenin, verified also by gel electrophoresis. The study shows that ethinylestradiol may induce vitellogenesis and prochloraz may affect the sexual development in Common frogs.