High glucuronidation activity of environmental estrogens in the carp (Cyprinus carpino) intestine

Many adverse effects on carp reproductive organs have been reported to be caused by exposure to environmental estrogens, such as nonylphenol and bisphenol A, which contaminate the aquatic environment. The glucuronidation activities of xenoestrogens (bisphenol A and diethylstilbestrol) and phytoestrogens (coumestrol, genistein and biochanin A), but not nonylphenol and octylphenol, were observed in microsomes prepared from carp organs. The highest levels of glucuronidation of environmental estrogens, for which the optimum temperature was 25-30 degrees C, were observed in the intestinal microsomes of 2-year-old carp. These activities in carp intestine increased developmentally, and the maximum levels corresponded to 5-10 % of that in rat liver microsomes. However, the glucuronidation of phytoestrogen by carp intestinal microsomes corresponded to that of rat liver microsomes. Only bisphenol A-glucuronide was excreted from the everted intestine, indicating that bisphenol A is metabolized in the carp intestine mainly as glucuronide. These results suggest that glucuronidation by carp intestine plays an important role for the detoxification of xenoestrogens and phytoestrogens, except for nonylphenol and octylphenol.