Degradation of the potential rodent contraceptive quinestrol and elimination of its estrogenic activity in soil and water

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2014 Jan;21(1):652-9. doi: 10.1007/s11356-013-1941-1. Epub 2013 Jul 2.

Abstract

Quinestrol has shown potential for use in the fertility control of the plateau pika population of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. However, the environmental safety and fate of this compound are still obscure. Our study investigated degradation of quinestrol in a local soil and aquatic system for the first time. The results indicate that the degradation of quinestrol follows first-order kinetics in both soil and water, with a dissipation half-life of approximately 16.0 days in local soil. Microbial activity heavily influenced the degradation of quinestrol, with 41.2% removal in non-sterile soil comparing to 4.8% removal in sterile soil after incubation of 10 days. The half-lives in neutral water (pH 7.4) were 0.75 h when exposed to UV light (λ = 365 nm) whereas they became 2.63 h when exposed to visible light (λ > 400 nm). Acidic conditions facilitated quinestrol degradation in water with shorter half-lives of 1.04 and 1.47 h in pH 4.0 and pH 5.0 solutions, respectively. Moreover, both the soil and water treatment systems efficiently eliminated the estrogenic activity of quinestrol. Results presented herein clarify the complete degradation of quinestrol in a relatively short time. The ecological and environmental safety of this compound needs further investigation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Contraceptives, Oral / analysis
  • Contraceptives, Oral / chemistry*
  • Environmental Pollutants / analysis
  • Environmental Pollutants / chemistry*
  • Fresh Water / chemistry
  • Half-Life
  • Kinetics
  • Quinestrol / analysis
  • Quinestrol / chemistry*
  • Rodent Control / methods
  • Rodentia
  • Soil / chemistry*
  • Tibet
  • Ultraviolet Rays

Substances

  • Contraceptives, Oral
  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Soil
  • Quinestrol