Modifications of the topical Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) embryo larval assay for assessing developmental toxicity of pentachlorophenol and p, p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane

Reproductive toxicity of DDT in the Japanese medaka fish model: Revisiting the impacts of DDT+ on female reproductive health

The organochlorine pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is an endocrine-disrupting compound (EDC) that has been banned by most countries for decades. However, it continues to be detected in nearly all humans and wildlife due to its biological and environmental persistence. The ovarian dysgenesis syndrome hypothesis speculates that exposure to EDCs during sensitive developmental windows such as early gonadal differentiation lead to reproductive disorders later in life. Yet, mechanisms by which DDT affects developing gonads remain unclear due to the inherent challenge of getting developmental exposure data from adults presenting with reproductive disease. The Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) is a valuable fish model for sex-specific toxicological studies due to its chromosomal sex determination, external embryonic development, short generation time, and extensively mapped genome. It is well documented that medaka exposed to DDT and its metabolites and byproducts (herein referred to as DDT+) at different developmental time points experience permanent alterations in gonadal morphology, reproductive success, and molecular and hormonal signaling. However, the overwhelming majority of studies focus primarily on functional and morphological outcomes in males and females and have rarely investigated long-term transcriptional or molecular effects. This review summarizes previous experimental findings and the state of our knowledge concerning toxic effects DDT + on reproductive development, fertility, and health in the valuable medaka model. It also identifies gaps in knowledge, emphasizing a need for more focus on molecular mechanisms of ovarian endocrine disruption using enhanced molecular tools that have become increasingly available over the past few decades. Furthermore, DDT forms a myriad of over 45 metabolites and transformation products in biota and the environment, very few of which have been evaluated for environmental abundance or health effects. This reinforces the demand for high throughput and economical in vivo models for predictive toxicology screening, and the Japanese medaka is uniquely positioned to meet this need.

Origin, dietary exposure, and toxicity of endocrine-disrupting food chemical contaminants: A comprehensive review

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are a growing public health concern worldwide. Consumption of foodstuffs is currently thought to be one of the principal exposure routes to EDCs. However, alternative ways of human exposure are through inhalation of chemicals and dermal contact. These compounds in food products such as canned food, bottled water, dairy products, fish, meat, egg, and vegetables are a ubiquitous concern to the general population. Therefore, understanding EDCs' properties, such as origin, exposure, toxicological impact, and legal aspects are vital to control their release to the environment and food. The present paper provides an overview of the EDCs and their possible disrupting impact on the endocrine system and other organs.

Obesogenic and developmental effects of TBT on the gene expression of juvenile Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes)

The widely used antifoulant tributyltin chloride (TBT) is highly toxic to aquatic organisms. In the present study, four-week-old Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) juveniles were orally exposed to TBT at 1 and 10 ng/g bw/d for 1, 2, and 4 weeks, respectively. Half of the tested medaka juveniles showed bone morphology alterations in both 1 and 10 ng/g bw/d TBT 4-week exposure groups. Nile Red (NR) staining showed that the juveniles exposed to 1 ng/g bw/d TBT for 2 and 4 weeks had significantly enlarged adipocyte areas. The mRNA-Seq analysis indicated that 1 ng/g bw/d TBT exposure for 2 weeks affected bone morphology through developmental processes. The GO and KEGG analyses suggested that the adipogenic effect of TBT observed in this study may be induced by metabolic processes, oxidative phosphorylation, and fatty acid degradation and metabolism pathways. Therefore, both morphological observation and mRNA-Seq analysis showed obesogenic effects and developmental toxicity of TBT to juvenile Japanese medaka.

Organochlorine pesticides: Agrochemicals with potent endocrine-disrupting properties in fish

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are persistent environmental contaminants that act as endocrine disruptors and organ system toxicants. These pesticides (e.g. dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), dieldrin, toxaphene, among others) are ranked as some of the most concerning chemicals for human health. These pesticides (1) act as teratogens, (2) are neuroendocrine disruptors, (3) suppress the immune and reproductive systems, and (4) dysregulate lipids and metabolism. Using a computational approach, we revealed enriched endocrine-related pathways in the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database sensitive to this chemical class, and these included reproduction (gonadotropins, estradiol, androgen, steroid biosynthesis, oxytocin), thyroid hormone, and insulin. Insight from the Tox21 and ToxCast programs confirm that these agrochemicals activate estrogen receptors, androgen receptors, and retinoic acid receptors with relatively high affinity, although differences exist in their potency. We propose an adverse outcome pathway for OCPs toxicity in the fish testis as a novel contribution to further understanding of OCP-induced toxicity. Organochlorine pesticides, due to their persistence and high toxicity to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife as well as humans, remain significant agrochemicals of concern.

An innovative and integrative assay for toxicity testing using individual fish embryos. Application to oxazepam

This paper describes the development of an integrative embryo-toxicity assay in Japanese medaka allowing analysis of several toxicological endpoints together in a same individual. In this assay, embryos are topically exposed, and survival, hatching success, malformations, biometry, behaviour, and target gene expression are subsequently analysed in each individual. This assay was applied to oxazepam, an anxiolytic pharmaceutical compound currently found in wastewater treatment plant effluent. Even if oxazepam accumulation in embryos was very low, it caused spinal and cardiac malformations, delayed growth, erratic swimming and deregulation of genes involved in apoptosis, DNA repair and mitochondrial metabolism. Relationship between gene deregulation, abnormal behaviour, and developmental anomalies was demonstrated. This assay is sensitive enough to detect adverse effects at low chemical concentrations and at multiple endpoints in a unique fish embryo. This integrative embryo-toxicity assay is a powerful tool to characterize the spectrum of effects of new chemicals and also to link effects induced at different molecular, tissue and physiological levels.

The toxic effects of chlorophenols and associated mechanisms in fish

Chlorophenols (CPs) are ubiquitous contaminants in the environment primarily released from agricultural and industrial wastewater. These compounds are not readily degraded naturally, and easily accumulate in organs, tissues and cells via food chains, further leading to acute and chronic toxic effects on aquatic organisms. Herein, we review the available literature regarding CP toxicity in fish, with special emphasis on the potential toxic mechanisms. CPs cause oxidative stress via generation of reactive oxygen species, induction of lipid peroxidation and/or oxidative DNA damage along with inhibition of antioxidant systems. CPs affect immune system by altering the number of mature B cells and macrophages, while suppressing phagocytosis and down-regulating the expression of immune factors. CPs also disrupt endocrine function by affecting hormone levels, or inducing abnormal gene expression and interference with hormone receptors. CPs at relatively higher concentrations induce apoptosis via mitochondria-mediated pathway, cell death receptor-mediated pathway, and/or DNA damage-mediated pathway. CPs at relatively lower concentrations promote cell proliferation, and foster cancers-prone environment by increasing the rate of point mutations and oxidative DNA lesions. These toxic effects in fish are induced directly by CPs per se or indirectly by their metabolic products. In addition, recent studies on the alteration of DNA methylation by CPs through high-throughput DNA sequencing analysis provide new insights into our understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms underlying CPs toxicity.

Alteration of development and gene expression induced by in ovo-nanoinjection of 3-hydroxybenzo[c]phenanthrene into Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) embryos

Benzo[c]phenanthrene (BcP) is a highly toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) found throughout the environment. In fish, it is metabolized to 3-hydroxybenzo[c]phenanthrene (3-OHBcP). In the present study, we observed the effects of 1nM 3-OHBcP on the development and gene expression of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) embryos. Embryos were nanoinjected with the chemical after fertilization. Survival, developmental stage, and heart rate of the embryos were observed, and gene expression differences were quantified by messenger RNA sequencing (mRNA-Seq). The exposure to 1nM 3-OHBcP accelerated the development of medaka embryos on the 1st, 4th, and 6th days post fertilization (dpf), and increased heart rates significantly on the 5th dpf. Physical development differences of exposed medaka embryos were consistent with the gene expression profiles of the mRNA-Seq results for the 3rd dpf, which show that the expression of 780 genes differed significantly between the solvent control and 1nM 3-OHBcP exposure groups. The obvious expression changes in the exposure group were found for genes involved in organ formation (eye, muscle, heart), energy supply (ATPase and ATP synthase), and stress-response (heat shock protein genes). The acceleration of development and increased heart rate, which were consistent with the changes in mRNA expression, suggested that 3-OHBcP affects the development of medaka embryos. The observation on the developmental stages and heart beat, in ovo-nanoinjection and mRNA-Seq may be efficient tools to evaluate the effects of chemicals on embryos.

Pentachlorophenol exposure causes Warburg-like effects in zebrafish embryos at gastrulation stage

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a prevalent pollutant in the environment and has been demonstrated to be a serious toxicant to humans and animals. However, little is known regarding the molecular mechanism underlying its toxic effects on vertebrate early development. To explore the impacts and underlying mechanisms of PCP on early development, zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos were exposed to PCP at concentrations of 0, 20 and 50 μg/L, and microscopic observation and cDNA microarray analysis were subsequently conducted at gastrulation stage. The morphological observations revealed that PCP caused a developmental delay of zebrafish embryos in a concentration-dependent manner. Transcriptomic data showed that 50 μg/L PCP treatment resulted in significant changes in gene expression level, and the genes involved in energy metabolism and cell behavior were identified based on gene functional enrichment analysis. The energy production of embryos was influenced by PCP via the activation of glycolysis along with the inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). The results suggested that PCP acts as an inhibitor of OXPHOS at 8 hpf (hours postfertilization). Consistent with the activated glycolysis, the cell cycle activity of PCP-treated embryos was higher than the controls. These characteristics are similar to the Warburg effect, which occurs in human tumors. The microinjection of exogenous ATP confirmed that an additional energy supply could rescue PCP-treated embryos from the developmental delay due to the energy deficit. Taken together, our results demonstrated that PCP causes a Warburg-like effect on zebrafish embryos during gastrulation, and the affected embryos had the phenotype of developmental delay.

Perturbation of organogenesis by the herbicide atrazine in the amphibian Xenopus laevis

BACKGROUND

Exposure to anthropogenic chemicals during development can disrupt the morphogenesis of organ systems. Use of the herbicide atrazine has been debated in recent years because of its implicated, but poorly characterized, effects on vertebrates. Previous studies primarily examined the effects of atrazine exposure during metamorphosis or early developmental stages of amphibians.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to identify and characterize the susceptibility during the often-overlooked developmental stage of organ morphogenesis.

METHODS

We used a static renewal experimental treatment to investigate the effects of 10, 25, and 35 mg/L atrazine from early organ morphogenesis through the onset of tadpole feeding in the aquatic amphibian model system, Xenopus laevis. We quantified malformations of the body axis, heart, and intestine, as well as apoptosis in the midbrain and pronephric kidney.

RESULTS

We found a significant dose-dependent increase in the percentage of atrazine-exposed tadpoles with malformations of multiple tissues including the main body axis, circulatory system, kidney, and digestive system. Incidence of apoptotic cells also increased in the both midbrain and kidney of atrazine-exposed tadpoles.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrate that acute atrazine exposure (10-35 mg/L for < or = 48 hr) during early organ morphogenesis disrupts proper organ development in an amphibian model system. The concurrent atrazine-induced apoptosis in the pronephric kidney and midbrain begins to elucidate a mechanism by which atrazine may disrupt developmental processes in nontarget organisms.

Stage-specific toxicity of cypermethrin to medaka (Oryzias latipes) eggs and embryos using a refined methodology for an in vitro fertilization bioassay

Using original artificial fertilization methods with medaka (Oryzias latipes), the effects of exposure to cypermethrin on gametes, fertilization, and embryonic development were investigated. The relative sensitivity was studied with 96-hour duration, 24-hour renewal exposures to six nominal concentrations of cypermethrin ranging from 3.1 100.0 microg cypermethrin/L. Tests were initiated at different developmental stages: unfertilized egg (stage 0), late morula (stage 9), eminence of swim bladder (stage 29), and maximum flexion of the atrioventricular region (stage 34). Cypermethrin did not affect the fertilization process. Predominant sublethal effects in embryos included transient visceral edemas intimately associated to the gall bladder with subsequent pericardial edemas. Other sublethal effects were observed in surviving larvae and included spastic movements with or without ability to respond to stimulus (>/=6.3 microg cypermethrin/L), spinal curvatures, and delayed or absence of swim bladder inflation (>/=12.5 microg cypermethrin/L). The exposure of the gametes (stage 0) or animals during earlier embryonic development (stages 9 or 29) was not a critical window for cypermethrin exposure. Although the incidence of edemas in embryos occurred mainly during exposure of these early developmental stages, embryo and larva lethality and the incidence of transient sublethal effects in hatchlings showed that the later exposure window (stage 34) was the most sensitive. The stage 34 group involved advanced organogenetic stages in which the chorion partially degraded before hatching. Our studies reinforced the idea that a combination of morphologic and functional impairment evaluation is a more sensitive response to developmental toxicants than morphologic defects alone.

Pentachlorophenol-Induced Cytotoxic, Mitogenic, and Endocrine-Disrupting Activities in Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is an organochlorine compound that has been widely used as a biocide in several industrial, agricultural, and domestic applications. Although it has been shown to induce systemic toxicity and carcinogenesis in several experimental studies, the literature is scarce regarding its toxic mechanisms of action at the cellular and molecular levels. Recent investigations in our laboratory have shown that PCP induces cytotoxicity and transcriptionally activates stress genes in human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells [1]. In this research, we hypothesize that environmental exposure to PCP may trigger cytotoxic, mitogenic, and endocrine-disrupting activities in aquatic organisms including fish. To test this hypothesis, we carried out in vitro cultures of male channel catfish hepatocytes, and performed the fluorescein diacetate assay (FDA) to assess for cell viability, and the Western Blot analysis to assess for vitellogenin expression following exposure to PCP. Data obtained from FDA experiments indicated a strong dose-response relationship with respect to PCP cytotoxicity. Upon 48 hrs of exposure, the chemical dose required to cause 50% reduction in cell viability (LD50) was computed to be 1,987.0 +/- 9.6 microg PCP/mL. The NOAEL and LOAEL were 62.5 +/- 10.3 microg PCP/mL and 125.0+/-15.2 microg PCP/mL, respectively. At lower levels of exposure, PCP was found to be mitogenic, showing a strong dose- and time-dependent response with regard to cell proliferation. Western Blot analysis demonstrated the potential of PCP to cause endocrine-disrupting activity, as evidenced by the up regulation of the 125-kDa vitellogenin protein the hepatocytes of male channel catfish.