Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026
07:29
Zebrafish as a Model to Assess the Teratogenic Potential of Nitrite
Published on: February 16, 2016
Is nitrate an ecologically relevant endocrine disruptor in vertebrates?
Louis J Guillette1, Thea M Edwards
1Department of Zoology, 223 Bartram Hall, P.O. Box 118525, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611.
Integrative and Comparative Biology
|June 17, 2011
Summary
Nitrate, a common pollutant, may disrupt animal endocrine systems, potentially contributing to population declines. Further research is needed to understand its endocrine-disrupting effects on wildlife.
Area of Science:
- Environmental toxicology
- Endocrinology
- Wildlife biology
Background:
- Global animal populations face severe declines and extinctions.
- Chemical contaminants can disrupt cell signaling, impacting wildlife health.
- Nitrate is a widespread aquatic pollutant with potential endocrine-disrupting properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence of nitrate/nitrite altering endocrine function in vertebrates.
- To investigate nitrate's role in altered endocrine parameters in alligators.
- To propose mechanisms by which nitrate may disrupt steroidogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on vertebrates exposed to nitrate/nitrite.
- Retrospective analysis of alligator endocrine data from Florida lakes.
- Formulation of hypotheses on nitrate's impact on steroidogenesis pathways.
Main Results:
- Nitrate and/or nitrite show potential to alter endocrine function in vertebrates.
- Nitrate exposure may contribute to altered endocrine parameters in juvenile alligators.
- Hypotheses proposed for nitrate-induced disruption of steroidogenesis via mitochondrial, ion transport, or enzyme interactions.
Conclusions:
- Nitrate is a potential endocrine-disrupting contaminant affecting wildlife.
- Understanding nitrate's endocrine effects is crucial for wildlife conservation.
- Contaminant exposure must be considered in ecological and biological studies.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Nitric Oxide Signaling Pathway
Nitric oxide (NO), an inorganic gas, acts as a potent second messenger in most animal and plant tissues. NO diffuses out of the cells that produce it and enters the neighboring cells to generate a downstream response. NO synthase (NOS) catalyzes NO production by the deamination of the amino acid arginine. There are three isoforms of NOS. Endothelial cells have endothelial NOS (eNOS), nerve and muscle cells have neuronal NOS (nNOS), and macrophages produce inducible NOS (iNOS) upon exposure to...
01:202° Amines to N-Nitrosamines: Reaction with NaNO2
Secondary amines react with nitrous acid to form N-nitrosamines, as depicted in Figure 1. Nitrous acid, a weak and unstable acid, is formed in situ from an aqueous solution of sodium nitrite and strong acids, such as hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, in cold conditions. In the presence of an acid, the nitrous acid gets protonated. The subsequent loss of water results in the formation of the electrophile known as nitrosonium ion.
01:27The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements
Elements are the smallest units of matter that cannot be broken down further by chemical processes. There are 118 known elements, but not all of these are naturally occurring, and only a few of them are essential for life. Living matter is composed primarily of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, with smaller amounts of other elements like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur. Other elements are also necessary for life but only in trace amounts.
Periodic Table Provides Information...
Periodic Table Provides Information...
00:57The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements
OverviewElements are the smallest units of matter that cannot be broken down further by chemical processes. There are 118 known elements, but not all of these are naturally-occurring, and fewer still are essential for life. Living matter is composed primarily of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, with smaller amounts of other elements like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur. Other elements are also necessary for life but only in trace amounts.The Periodic Table Provides Information...
01:20Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism
Nitrogen is a very important element for life because it is a major constituent of proteins and nucleic acids. It is a macronutrient, and in nature, it is recycled from organic compounds and stored in the form of ammonia, ammonium ions, nitrate, nitrite, or nitrogen gas by many metabolic processes. Many of these metabolic processes are carried out only by prokaryotes.
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this nitrogen...
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this nitrogen...
01:23Toxicity Testing in Animals
Toxicity tests in animals are grounded on two main assumptions: first, the effects observed in laboratory animals can be extrapolated to humans, especially when adjusted for body surface area; second, high-dose exposure in animals is essential to identify potential human hazards from lower doses. This is based on the quantal dose-response concept, which faces the challenge of extrapolating results from relatively few test animals to much larger human populations. For example, a 0.01% incidence...