유기주석화합물은 농업과 산업분야에서 많이 쓰이고, 이들은 수계환경으로 유입되어 물이나 저질 중의 세균들에 의해 분해되어 최종적으로는 무기주석으로 된다. Trialkyltin 화합물이 해양생물에 미치는 영향에 관해서는 많은 연구가 있지만, 해양생태계에서 기초적인 생산을 담당하는 플랑크톤류에 미치는 영향에 관해서는 잘 알려져 있지 않다. 본 연구에서는 TBT와 TPT의 분해물인 DBT, MBT, DPT, MPT를 비롯하여 trimethyltin(TMT)과

Organotin compounds (OTs), namely butyltins compounds (BTs) and phenyltin compounds (PhTs), were measured in surface and core sediments collected in Jeju harbor. The horizontal and vertical distribution was examined and the relationship between the concentration of OTs and organic matter content and particle size distribution was also studied. BTs were detected in significant concentrations in sediments inside Jeju harbor. PhTs were detected in very low concentrations, compared to BTs. The main species in BTs and PhTs were dibutyltin (DBT) and monobutyltin (MBT), monophenyltin (MPhT), respectively. In the relationships between the concentrations of total BTs and organic carbon content, the significant correlations (r2=0.4898 in surface sediments, r2=0.53 in one core sediments) and no correlation in another core sediments obtained, which is estimated that the distribution of BTs in sediments were affected by several factors, such as their physicochemical properties including organic carbon content, and a tide, etc. In the relationships between the concentrations of total BTs and particle size (mud, sand, and gravel) in sediments, the concentrations of total BTs were higher in the sediments with higher mud content, indicating that higher BTs were distributed with increasing sediments of fine granules.

Some organotin compounds such as butyltins and phenyltins are known to induce impo-sex in various marine animals and are considered to be endocrine disruptors. In this study, the effect of organotins on follicular steroidogenesis in amphibians was examined using ovarian follicles of Rana dybowskii and Rana catesbeiana. Isolated follicles were cultured for 6 or 18 h in the presence and absence of frog pituitary homogenate (FPH) or various steroid precursors, and the levels of product steroids in the culture media oassay. Among the butyltin compounds, tributyltin (TBT) strongly and dose-dependently inhibited the FPH-induced synthesis of pregnenolone () and progesterone () by the follicles. TBT also strongly suppressed the conversion of cholesterol to and partially suppressed the conversion of to . A high concentration of dibutyltin (DBT) also inhibited steroidogenesis by the follicles while monobutyltin and tetrabutyltin had negligible effects. The toxic effect of TBT or DBT was irreversible and a short time of exposure (30 min) was enough to suppress steroidogenesis. All the phenyltin compounds significantly inhibited FPH-induced synthesis by the follicles. The effective dose of 50% inhibition by diphenyltin was and those of monophenyltin and triphenyltin were and , respectively. However, none of the phenyltin compounds significantly suppressed the conversion of to -hydroxyprogesterone (-OHP) (by -hydroxylase), -OHP to androstenedione (AD) (by lyase), or AD to testosterone by the follicles. Taken together, the data show that among the steroidogenic enzymes, P450scc in the follicles is the most sensitive to organotin compounds and that an amphibian follicle culture system can be a useful screening model for endocrine disruptors.