Comparison of the sensitivity of four native Canadian fish species to 17-α ethinylestradiol, using an in vitro liver explant assay

Transcriptomics Points-of-Departure (tPODs) to Support Hazard Assessment of Benzo[a]pyrene in Early-Life-Stage Rainbow Trout

New approach methods (NAMs) are urgently needed to address the significant ethical and economic concerns associated with live animal testing as well as the low throughput associated with current toxicity testing frameworks. NAMs such as rapid mechanistic early-life-stage fish assays are promising alternatives to current hazard assessment approaches, as they can be used to derive toxicity thresholds and guide decision-makers on identifying or prioritizing chemicals of concern. This study aimed to derive benchmark concentrations from RNaseq data (transcriptomic points-of-departure; tPOD) from a short-term exposure study with early life stages of rainbow trout (RBT; Oncorhynchus mykiss) using benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) as the model compound. tPODs were then calibrated with higher organizational-level responses observed during an extended 28 day exposure period. RBT were exposed from 1 to 28 days post-hatch (dph) to 0.079, 0.35, 1.5, 7.4, and 29 μg/L (28 d time weighted average measured) B[a]P, as well as 0.05% dimethyl sulfoxide and water only controls. Benchmark concentration analysis of transcriptomic responses at 4 dph, based on the most sensitive transcriptomic features, yielded tPODs between 0.028 and 0.47 μg/L B[a]P. At 28 dph, Cyp1a1 exhibited significantly increased catalytic activity, with biochemical POD, bPODEROD,28dph of 0.599 μg/L B[a]P, while morphometric analysis showed significant growth inhibition in terms of length, with apical POD, aPODlength,28dph of 1.77 μg/L B[a]P, with a notable decreasing trend in body weight. A toxicity pathway model constructed from genes and apical end points exhibiting concentration-dependent responses provided further evidence supporting the utility of tPODs from short-term RBT early-life-stage assay to support chemical risk assessment to guide decision-makers in chemical testing prioritization.

Tissue explants as tools for studying the epigenetic modulation of the GH-IGF-I axis in farmed fish

Somatic growth in vertebrates is mainly controlled by the growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) axis. The role of epigenetic mechanisms in regulating this axis in fish is far from being understood. This work aimed to optimize and evaluate the use of short-term culture of pituitary and liver explants from a farmed fish, the gilthead seabream Sparus aurata, for studying epigenetic mechanisms involved in GH/IGF-I axis regulation. Our results on viability, structure, proliferation, and functionality of explants support their use in short-term assays. Pituitary explants showed no variation in gh expression after exposure to the DNA methylation inhibitor decitabine (5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine; DAC), despite responding to DAC by changing dnmt3bb and tet1 expression, and TET activity, producing an increase in overall DNA hydroxymethylation. Conversely, in liver explants, DAC had no effects on dnmt s and tet s expression or activity, but modified the expression of genes from the GH-IGF-I axis. In particular, the expression of igfbp2a was increased and that of igfbp4, ghri and ghrii was decreased by DAC as well as by genistein, which is suggestive of impaired growth. While incubation of liver explants with S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) produced no clear effects, it is proposed that nutrients must ensure the methylation milieu within the liver in the fish to sustain proper growth, which need further in vivo verification. Pituitary and liver explants from S. aurata can be further used as described herein for the screening of inhibitors or activators of epigenetic regulators, as well as for assessing epigenetic mechanisms behind GH-IGF-I variation in farmed fish.

Assessing the Toxicity of 17α-Ethinylestradiol in Rainbow Trout Using a 4-Day Transcriptomics Benchmark Dose (BMD) Embryo Assay

There is an urgent demand for more efficient and ethical approaches in ecological risk assessment. Using 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) as a model compound, this study established an embryo benchmark dose (BMD) assay for rainbow trout (RBT; Oncorhynchus mykiss) to derive transcriptomic points-of-departure (tPODs) as an alternative to live-animal tests. Embryos were exposed to graded concentrations of EE2 (measured: 0, 1.13, 1.57, 6.22, 16.3, 55.1, and 169 ng/L) from hatch to 4 and up to 60 days post-hatch (dph) to assess molecular and apical responses, respectively. Whole proteome analyses of alevins did not show clear estrogenic effects. In contrast, transcriptomics revealed responses that were in agreement with apical effects, including excessive accumulation of intravascular and hepatic proteinaceous fluid and significant increases in mortality at 55.1 and 169 ng/L EE2 at later time points. Transcriptomic BMD analysis estimated the median of the 20th lowest geneBMD to be 0.18 ng/L, the most sensitive tPOD. Other estimates (0.78, 3.64, and 1.63 ng/L for the 10th percentile geneBMD, first peak geneBMD distribution, and median geneBMD of the most sensitive over-represented pathway, respectively) were within the same order of magnitude as empirically derived apical PODs for EE2 in the literature. This 4-day alternative RBT embryonic assay was effective in deriving tPODs that are protective of chronic effects of EE2.

Development of a Comprehensive Toxicity Pathway Model for 17α-Ethinylestradiol in Early Life Stage Fathead Minnows (Pimephales promelas)

There is increasing pressure to develop alternative ecotoxicological risk assessment approaches that do not rely on expensive, time-consuming, and ethically questionable live animal testing. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive early life stage toxicity pathway model for the exposure of fish to estrogenic chemicals that is rooted in mechanistic toxicology. Embryo-larval fathead minnows (FHM; Pimephales promelas) were exposed to graded concentrations of 17α-ethinylestradiol (water control, 0.01% DMSO, 4, 20, and 100 ng/L) for 32 days. Fish were assessed for transcriptomic and proteomic responses at 4 days post-hatch (dph), and for histological and apical end points at 28 dph. Molecular analyses revealed core responses that were indicative of observed apical outcomes, including biological processes resulting in overproduction of vitellogenin and impairment of visual development. Histological observations indicated accumulation of proteinaceous fluid in liver and kidney tissues, energy depletion, and delayed or suppressed gonad development. Additionally, fish in the 100 ng/L treatment group were smaller than controls. Integration of omics data improved the interpretation of perturbations in early life stage FHM, providing evidence of conservation of toxicity pathways across levels of biological organization. Overall, the mechanism-based embryo-larval FHM model showed promise as a replacement for standard adult live animal tests.

The Last Half Century of Fish Explant and Organ Culture

Explants are three-dimensional tissue fragments maintained outside the organism. The goals of this article are to review the history of fish explant culture and discuss applications of this technique that may assist the modern zebrafish laboratory. Because most zebrafish workers do not have a background in tissue culture, the key variables of this method are deliberately explained in a general way. This is followed by a review of fish-specific explantation approaches, including presurgical husbandry, aseptic dissection technique, choice of media and additives, incubation conditions, viability assays, and imaging studies. Relevant articles since 1970 are organized in a table grouped by organ system. From these, I highlight several recent studies using explant culture to study physiological and embryological processes in teleosts, including circadian rhythms, hormonal regulation, and cardiac development.

Differential Sensitivity to In Vitro Inhibition of Cytochrome P450 Aromatase (CYP19) Activity Among 18 Freshwater Fishes

There is significant concern regarding potential impairment of fish reproduction associated with endocrine disrupting chemicals. Aromatase (CYP19) is a steroidogenic enzyme involved in the conversion of androgens to estrogens. Inhibition of aromatase by chemicals can result in reduced concentrations of estrogens leading to adverse reproductive effects. These effects have been extensively investigated in a small number of laboratory model fishes, such as fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes), and zebrafish (Danio rerio). But, differences in sensitivity among species are largely unknown. Therefore, this study took a first step toward understanding potential differences in sensitivity to aromatase inhibitors among fishes. Specifically, a standard in vitro aromatase inhibition assay using subcellular fractions of whole tissue homogenates was used to evaluate the potential sensitivity of 18 phylogenetically diverse species of freshwater fish to the nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor fadrozole. Sensitivity to fadrozole ranged by more than 52-fold among these species. Five species were further investigated for sensitivity to up to 4 additional nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors, letrozole, imazalil, prochloraz, and propiconazole. Potencies of each of these chemicals relative to fadrozole ranged by up to 2 orders of magnitude among the 5 species. Fathead minnow, Japanese medaka, and zebrafish were among the least sensitive to all the investigated chemicals; therefore, ecological risks of aromatase inhibitors derived from these species might not be adequately protective of more sensitive native fishes. This information could guide more objective ecological risk assessments of native fishes to chemicals that inhibit aromatase.

Assessing the cytotoxic effect of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) on liver tissue cultures from fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas)

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a ubiquitous environmental contaminant of current concern despite its global ban in 2013 due to its characteristics as a persistent organic pollutant. While the toxicity of HBDC in vertebrates has been extensively studied, the specific molecular mechanisms underlying its toxicity in fish are not fully understood to date. Therefore, the aim of this work was to determine the in vitro cytotoxicity of HBCD in the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) using liver explants, and to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects. Explants were incubated with nine different concentrations of HBCD (0.00032, 0.0016, 0.008, 0.04, 0.2, 1, 5, 25 and 125 mg HBCD/L) for 6 and 24 h, and cytotoxicity was tested by using the Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) assay. The expression of genes with a key role in the regulation of apoptosis, oxidative stress, cryoprotective responses to reactive oxygen species (ROS), and xenobiotic metabolism was also measured in liver explants after exposure to 0.00032, 0.0016, 0.008, 0.2, and 25 mg HBCD/L. After 6 h, a concentration-dependent significant increase in cytotoxicity was found between 0.008 and 1 mg/L HBCD, followed by a decrease between 1 and 25 mg/L. Cytotoxicity reached 100 % at a concentration of 125 mg/L HBCD. After 24 h, HBCD showed a biphasic response with a concentration-dependent decrease in cytotoxicity between 0.0016 and 1 mg/L that returned to baseline levels at 5 mg/L. Then, cytotoxicity increased at concentrations greater than 5 mg/L to reach a maximum value at 125 mg/L. Changes in the expression of genes related to apoptosis (apoEn, apoIn, caspase2, caspase9 and bax) were also time- and concentration-dependent. Genes related to antioxidant responses such as gst and catalase were generally decreased after 6 h of incubation and increased after 24 h. The same pattern was observed for cyp1a and cyp3a, both related to xenobiotic metabolism. The expression of genes related to cryoprotective responses anti ROS (akt and pi3k) decreased at almost all HBCD concentrations tested after 6 h but remained unaltered after 24 h. Overall, we demonstrated that the cytotoxic effect of HBCD in fathead minnow liver explant was not proportional to its concentration in the culture media. Cytotoxicity was highly dynamic and did not follow a typical concentration-response pattern, complicating its toxicological characterization.

A Cross-species Quantitative Adverse Outcome Pathway for Activation of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Leading to Early Life Stage Mortality in Birds and Fishes

Dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) elicit adverse effects through activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). Prior investigations demonstrated that sensitivity to activation of AHR1 in an in vitro AHR transactivation assay is predictive of early life stage mortality among birds. The present study investigated the link between sensitivity to activation of AHR1s and AHR2s and early life stage mortality among fishes. A significant, linear relationship was demonstrated between sensitivity to activation of AHR2 and early life stage mortality among nine fishes, while no relationship was found for AHR1. The slope and y-intercept for the linear relationship between sensitivity to activation of AHR1 and early life stage mortality in birds was not statistically different from the same relationship for AHR2 in fishes. Data for fishes and birds across DLCs were expanded into four significant, linear regression models describing the relationship between sensitivity to activation of AHR and the dose to cause early life stage mortality of 0%, 10%, 50%, or 100%. These four relationships were combined to form a quantitative adverse outcome pathway which can predict dose-response curves of early life stage mortality for DLCs to any bird or fish from species- and chemical-specific responses in an in vitro AHR transactivation assay.

Challenges in assigning endocrine-specific modes of action: Recommendations for researchers and regulators

As regulatory programs evaluate substances for their endocrine-disrupting properties, careful study design and data interpretation are needed to distinguish between responses that are truly endocrine specific and those that are not. This is particularly important in regulatory environments where criteria are under development to identify endocrine-disrupting properties to enable hazard-based regulation. Irrespective of these processes, most jurisdictions use the World Health Organization/International Programme on Chemical Safety definition of an endocrine disruptor, requiring that a substance is demonstrated to cause a change in endocrine function that consequently leads to an adverse effect in an intact organism. Such a definition is broad, and at its most cautious might capture many general mechanisms that would not specifically denote an endocrine disruptor. In addition, endocrine responses may be adaptive in nature, designed to maintain homeostasis rather than induce an irreversible adverse effect. The likelihood of indirect effects is increased in (eco)toxicological studies that require the use of maximum tolerated concentrations or doses, which must produce some adverse effect. The misidentification of indirect effects as truly endocrine mediated has serious consequences for prompting animal- and resource-intensive testing and regulatory consequences. To minimize the risk for misidentification, an objective and transparent weight-of-evidence procedure based on biological plausibility, essentiality, and empirical evidence of key events in an adverse outcome pathway is recommended to describe the modes of action that may be involved in toxic responses in nontarget organisms. Confounding factors such as systemic toxicity, general stress, and infection can add complexity to such an evaluation and should be considered in the weight of evidence. A recommended set of questions is proffered to help guide researchers and regulators in discerning endocrine and nonendocrine responses. Although many examples provided in this study are based on ecotoxicology, the majority of the concepts and processes are applicable to both environmental and human health assessments. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:280-292. © 2016 SETAC.