Effect of short-term intermittent exposure to waterborne estradiol on the reproductive physiology of the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus)

The objective of this study was to determine how the short-term exposure to a supraphysiological concentration of waterborne 17β-estradiol (E2) influences on melatonin (Mel) and thyroxine (T4) concentrations in plasma and E2 and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) concentrations in plasma and gonads in both sexes of round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) during the pre-spawning, spawning, late spawning and non-spawning phases. The experimental protocol was based on short-term, repeated exposures of fish to a supraphysiological dose of waterborne E2. Mel level was unchanged on exposure to E2 during the investigated phases, and its role in determining a time frame for spawning in both sexes of round goby seems to be stable in those conditions. T4 and sex steroids (E2 and 11-KT) were sensitive to the exposure of E2, and those changes influence gonads by accelerating oocyte development, ovulation and regression and inhibiting spermatogenesis in this species. The results demonstrate that the physiological responses of fish in all investigated phases were altered over a short window of exposure, indicating that short-term exposure to a supraphysiological dose of E2 may impact fish in the wild. Furthermore, round goby can be recommended as a very suitable model for studying endocrine disruptors, which is sensitive to even short exposure to E2.