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Zou H, Yu H, Huang Y, Guo Y, Ye M, Hou L. Chronic exposure to gestodene impairs reproductive system in adult female zebrafish (Daniarerio). CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 355:141876. [PMID: 38570043 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/30/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Gestodene (GES) is widely used in human therapy and animal husbandry and is frequently detected in aquatic environments. Although GES adversely affects aquatic organisms at trace levels, its effects on the reproductive biology of fish remain inconclusive. In this study, female zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to environmentally relevant levels of GES for the evaluation of the effects of GES on the reproductive system by using endpoints including gene expression, plasma steroid concentrations, histological and morphological analyses, copulatory behavior, and reproductive output. Adult female zebrafish exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of GES (4.0, 40.2, and 372.7 ng/L) for 60 d demonstrated stagnant ovarian oocyte development, evidenced by an increase in the percentage of perinuclear and atretic oocytes and a decrease in the percentage of late vitellogenic oocytes. GES-exposed females were less attractive to males and had lower copulatory intimacy than females in control. Consequently, spawning (44.3-49.2 %) and egg fertilization rates (27.9-32.0 %) were decreased. The decreased survival of fertilized eggs and hatching rates were accompanied by increased malformations. These negative effects were associated with abnormal transcriptional levels of gonadal steroid hormones, which were regulated by genes (Hsd17β3, Hsd11β2, Hsd20β, Cyp19a1a, and Cyp11b). Overall, our findings suggest that GES impairs the reproductive system of zebrafish, which may threaten population stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Zou
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - HongJun Yu
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - YunYi Huang
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - YanFang Guo
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - MeiXin Ye
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - LiPing Hou
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China; Key Laboratory of Conservation and Application in Biodiversity of South China, School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510006, China.
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Guo Y, Liang X, Li H, Ye M, Zou H, Yu H, Qi T, Hou L, Liang YQ. Effects of norethindrone on the growth, behavior, and thyroid endocrine system of adult female western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 267:115630. [PMID: 37890255 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Progestins are mainly used in pharmacotherapy and animal husbandry and have received increasing attention as they are widely detected in various aquatic ecosystems. In this study, adult female western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) were exposed to different concentrations of norethindrone (NET) (solvent control, 5.0 (L), 50.0 (M), and 500.0 (H) ng/L) for 42 days. Behaviors, morphological parameters, histology of the thyroid, thyroid hormone levels (TSH, T3, and T4), and transcriptional levels of nine genes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis were examined. The results showed that NET decreased sociality but increased the anxiety of G. affinis. Sociality makes fish tend to cluster, and anxiety may cause G. affinis to reduce exploration of new environments. Female fish showed hyperplasia, hypertrophy, and glial depletion in their thyroid follicular epithelial cells after NET treatment. The plasma levels of TSH and T4 were significantly reduced, but T3 concentrations were significantly increased in the fish from the H group. In addition, the transcripts of genes (tshb, tshr, tg, dio1, dio2, thrb) in the brains of fish in the M and H treatments were significantly stimulated, while those of trh and pax2a were suppressed. Our results suggest that NET may impact key social behaviors in G. affinis and interfere with the entire thyroid endocrine system, probably via affecting the transcriptional expression of upstream regulators in the HPT axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfang Guo
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Xiaorou Liang
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Haisheng Li
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Meixin Ye
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Hong Zou
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Hongjun Yu
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Tang Qi
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Liping Hou
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China; Key Laboratory of Conservation and Application in Biodiversity of South China, School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China.
| | - Yan-Qiu Liang
- Faculty of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China.
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Tan J, Liang C, Guo Y, Zou H, Guo Y, Ye J, Hou L, Wang X. Thyroid endocrine disruption and neurotoxicity of gestodene in adult female mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 313:137594. [PMID: 36538954 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The frequent detection of progestins in various aquatic environments and their potential endocrine disruptive effects in fish have attracted increasing attention worldwide. However, data on their effects on thyroid function and neurotoxicity in fish are limited, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, the effects of gestodene (GES, a common progestin) on the thyroid endocrine and nervous systems of mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) were studied. Adult female fish were exposed to GES at environmentally relevant concentrations (4.4-378.7 ng/L) for 60 days. The results showed that exposure to 378.7 ng/L GES caused a significant decrease in fish growth compared with the control and a marked reduction in the total distance traveled (50.6%) and swimming velocity (40.1-61.9%). The triiodothyronine (T3) levels were significantly increased by GES in a dose-dependent manner, whereas those of tetraiodothyronine (T4) were significantly decreased only at the G500 concentration. The acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was decreased significantly in the 4.42 ng/L GES treatments, but increased significantly at 378.67 ng/L. In the brain, a strong increase in the transcriptional levels of bdnf, trh, and dio2 was observed in fish after the 378.7 ng/L treatment. In addition, chronic exposure to GES caused colloid depletion with a concentration-dependent manner in the thyroid, and angiectasis, congestion, and vacuolar necrosis in the brain. These findings provide a better understanding of the effects of GES and associated underlying mechanisms in G. affinis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiefeng Tan
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510655, China; School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China
| | - Chuyan Liang
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510655, China
| | - Yanfang Guo
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510655, China
| | - Hong Zou
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510655, China
| | - Yuqi Guo
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510655, China
| | - Jiahui Ye
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510655, China
| | - Liping Hou
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510655, China.
| | - Xiaolan Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510655, China.
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Tan J, Chen H, Chen S, Hu J, Wang X, Wang Y, Liao S, Chen P, Liang C, Dai M, Du Q, Hou L. The interactive effects of ethinylestradiol and progesterone on transcriptional expression of genes along the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis in embryonic zebrafish (Danio rerio). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 805:150371. [PMID: 34818814 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Progestins and estrogens are widespread in various aquatic environments and their potential endocrine disruption effects to aquatic organisms have drawn growing concern. However, their combined effects in aquatic organisms remain elusive. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of the binary mixtures of gestodene (GES) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) on the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis of zebrafish (Danio rerio) using the eleuthero-embryos. Embryos were exposed to GES and EE2 alone or in combination at concentrations ranging from 41 to 5329 ng L-1 (nominal ones from 50 to 5000 ng L-1) for 48 h, 96 h and 144 h post fertilization (hpf). The results showed that the transcripts of the genes along the HPT axis displayed pronounced alterations. There was no clear pattern in the change of the transcripts of these genes over time and with concentrations. However, in general, the transcripts of the genes were inversely affected by EE2 (increase 0.5 to 4.2-folds) and GES (inhibition 0.4 to 4.9-folds), and their mixtures showed interactive effects in embryonic zebrafish. In addition, physiological data (mortality, malformation, body length and heart rate etc.) denoted higher toxicity of the two chemicals in combination than alone based on the developmental toxicity and neurotoxicity (locomotor behavior). These results indicated that the interactive effects of these two chemicals might be different between at the transcriptional level and at the whole organismal level. In summary, GES and EE2 affect the HPT axis (related genes expression and thyroid hormones (THs) levels) and exhibit developmental toxicity and neurotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiefeng Tan
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Hongxing Chen
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Shanduo Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Junjie Hu
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Xiaolan Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Yifan Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Shuling Liao
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Peixian Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Chuyan Liang
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Menglin Dai
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Qianping Du
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China
| | - Liping Hou
- School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510655, China.
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