環境荷爾蒙為近年來許多環境學者相當關切之環保問題。這些具有類似生物體內荷爾蒙作用之化學物質可能經由改變內分泌系統平衡而造成人類健康及生態危害。許多研究顯示一般家庭污水及事業廢水可能具仿雌激素之作用並可影響暴露魚類之正常生殖、發育及行為。然而，針對環境荷爾蒙物質對魚類之作用，目前雖有水中生物測試方法，但往往費時、費工。
因此本計畫最主要目的是使用已開發
的快速檢驗組來測試環境荷爾蒙物質
對魚體的影響，以瞭解其可行性為
何？
此快速方法是利用青將魚體內卵黃蛋白先質受雌激素物質誘導的特性，以不同業者所開發出的酵素免疫法ELISA (enzyme-linked immuno -sorbent assay)來檢測此類蛋白質在雄魚體內的含量。本計畫結果顯示兩種不同來源的檢測組皆有良好的檢量線關係，而所測試的青將魚肝臟細胞質液樣本所得的結果也相近，顯示此兩組檢測組具相當的準確度及可靠度，可考慮做為未來相關生物檢測工作的主要工具。 Endocrine disrupting compounds
(EDCs) are of major concern by
environmentalists in recent years due to
their potential to alter endocrine systems
in human or wildlife leading to
reproductive or developmental
dysfunction and sequentially ecological
damages. Studies showed that different
effluents, such as discharges from
municipal wastewater treatment plants,
were also estrogenic to exposed fish
resulted in reproductive, developmental,
or behavior alterations. Although at the
present, there is chronic or sub-chronic
toxicity test suitable for fish in detecting
EDCs in the water system, these
protocols are either expensive or labor
intensive, or both. This study was to test
two bio-analytical kits developed by two
companies for determination of effects
of these chemicals on Japanese medaka
(Oryzias latipes), and to evaluate their
applicability of both products.
The bio-analytical screening kit is using
vitellogenin, a inducible protein by
environmental estrogens, as the ligand
for ELISA assay. Results showed that
these two kits could establish good
antigen concentration dependent
relationship. After quantification, VTG
concentrations in the fish serum samples
using two kits were similar. This
indicates accuracy and reliability of the
products. These two kits can be
considered as a bio-analytical tool for
future works.
