Nutrients and salinity influence Prymnesium parvum (UTEX LB 2797) elicited sublethal toxicity in Pimephales promelas and Danio rerio

Cytotoxicity of Prymnesium parvum extracts and prymnesin analogs on epithelial fish gill cells RTgill-W1 and the human colon cell line HCEC-1CT

Harmful algal blooms kill fish populations worldwide, as exemplified by the haptophyte microalga Prymnesium parvum. The suspected causative agents are prymnesins, categorized as A-, B-, and C-types based on backbone carbon atoms. Impacts of P. parvum extracts and purified prymnesins were tested on the epithelial rainbow trout fish gill cell line RTgill-W1 and on the human colon epithelial cells HCEC-1CT. Cytotoxic potencies ranked A > C > B-type with concentrations spanning from low (A- and C-type) to middle (B-type) nM ranges. Although RTgill-W1 cells were about twofold more sensitive than HCEC-1CT, the cytotoxicity of prymnesins is not limited to fish gills. Both cell lines responded rapidly to prymnesins; with EC50 values for B-types in RTgill-W1 cells of 110 ± 11 nM and 41.5 ± 0.6 nM after incubations times of 3 and 24 h. Results of fluorescence imaging and measured lytic effects suggest plasma membrane interactions. Postulating an osmotic imbalance as mechanisms of toxicity, incubations with prymnesins in media lacking either Cl-, Na+, or Ca2+ were performed. Cl- removal reduced morphometric rearrangements observed in RTgill-W1 and cytotoxicity in HCEC-1CT cells. Ca2+-free medium in RTgill-W1 cells exacerbated effects on the cell nuclei. Prymnesin composition of different P. parvum strains showed that analog composition within one type scarcely influenced the cytotoxic potential, while analog type potentially dictate potency. Overall, A-type prymnesins were the most potent ones in both cell lines followed by the C-types, and lastly B-types. Disturbance of Ca2+ and Cl- ionoregulation may be integral to prymnesin toxicity.

The Effect of pH and Salinity on the Toxicity and Growth of the Golden Alga, Prymnesium parvum

Bioassays using cultures of the toxic haptophyte Prymnesium parvum and the ciliate Cyclidium sp. as prey were conducted to test the effect of pH (range = 6.5 - 8.5), salinity (range = 1.50 - 7.50‰), and a combination of pH and salinity on the toxicity of P. parvum. pH had a significant effect on P. parvum toxicity. Toxicity was rapidly (within 24 hr) induced by increasing pH of the medium, or reduced by lowering pH. Conversely, lowering salinity reduced toxicity, albeit less effectively compared to pH, and P. parvum cells remained toxic at the lowest values tested (1.50‰ at pH 7.5). An additional effect between pH and salinity was also observed: low salinity combined with low pH led to not only decreased toxicity, but also resulted in lower P. parvum growth rates. Such effects of pH and salinity on P. parvum growth and toxicity provide insight into the environmental factors supporting community dominance and toxic blooms of the alga.

Gill Transcriptomic Responses to Toxin-producing Alga Prymnesium parvum in Rainbow Trout

The gill of teleost fish is a multifunctional organ involved in many physiological processes, including protection of the mucosal gill surface against pathogens and other environmental antigens by the gill-associated lymphoid tissue (GIALT). Climate change associated phenomena, such as increasing frequency and magnitude of harmful algal blooms (HABs) put extra strain on gill function, contributing to enhanced fish mortality and fish kills. However, the molecular basis of the HAB-induced gill injury remains largely unknown due to the lack of high-throughput transcriptomic studies performed on teleost fish in laboratory conditions. We used juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to investigate the transcriptomic responses of the gill tissue to two (high and low) sublethal densities of the toxin-producing alga Prymnesium parvum, in relation to non-exposed control fish. The exposure time to P. parvum (4–5 h) was sufficient to identify three different phenotypic responses among the exposed fish, enabling us to focus on the common gill transcriptomic responses to P. parvum that were independent of dose and phenotype. The inspection of common differentially expressed genes (DEGs), canonical pathways, upstream regulators and downstream effects pointed towards P. parvum-induced inflammatory response and gill inflammation driven by alterations of Acute Phase Response Signalling, IL-6 Signalling, IL-10 Signalling, Role of PKR in Interferon Induction and Antiviral Response, IL-8 Signalling and IL-17 Signalling pathways. While we could not determine if the inferred gill inflammation was progressing or resolving, our study clearly suggests that P. parvum blooms may contribute to the serious gill disorders in fish. By providing insights into the gill transcriptomic responses to toxin-producing P. parvum in teleost fish, our research opens new avenues for investigating how to monitor and mitigate toxicity of HABs before they become lethal.

Pharmaceutical Assessment Suggests Locomotion Hyperactivity in Zebrafish Triggered by Arecoline Might Be Associated with Multiple Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors Activation

Arecoline is one of the nicotinic acid-based alkaloids, which is found in the betel nut. In addition to its function as a muscarinic agonist, arecoline exhibits several adverse effects, such as inducing growth retardation and causing developmental defects in animal embryos, including zebrafish, chicken, and mice. In this study, we aimed to study the potential adverse effects of waterborne arecoline exposure on zebrafish larvae locomotor activity and investigate the possible mechanism of the arecoline effects in zebrafish behavior. The zebrafish behavior analysis, together with molecular docking and the antagonist co-exposure experiment using muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonists were conducted. Zebrafish larvae aged 96 h post-fertilization (hpf) were exposed to different concentrations (0.001, 0.01, 0.1, and 1 ppm) of arecoline for 30 min and 24 h, respectively, to find out the effect of arecoline in different time exposures. Locomotor activities were measured and quantified at 120 hpf. The results showed that arecoline caused zebrafish larvae locomotor hyperactivities, even at a very low concentration. For the mechanistic study, we conducted a structure-based molecular docking simulation and antagonist co-exposure experiment to explore the potential interactions between arecoline and eight subtypes, namely, M1a, M2a, M2b, M3a, M3b, M4a, M5a, and M5b, of zebrafish endogenous muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs). Arecoline was predicted to show a strong binding affinity to most of the subtypes. We also discovered that the locomotion hyperactivity phenotypes triggered by arecoline could be rescued by co-incubating it with M1 to M4 mAChR antagonists. Taken together, by a pharmacological approach, we demonstrated that arecoline functions as a highly potent hyperactivity-stimulating compound in zebrafish that is mediated by multiple muscarinic acetylcholine receptors.

Sunlight concurrently reduces Prymnesium parvum elicited acute toxicity to fish and prymnesins

Prymnesium parvum continues to spread globally, producing harmful algal blooms that release toxins known to cause fish kills. While previous work has identified possible P. parvum toxin(s) (e.g., prymnesins, fatty acids, fatty acid amides) and investigated treatment strategies targeted at minimizing cell abundance, studies examining efficacy of treatment approaches to remove toxins are lacking. To understand influences of sunlight on toxins stability and toxicity to fish, acutely toxic P. parvum cultures were exposed to three light scenarios (lab dark control, field dark, and field light) and then evaluated for acute toxicity to fish and prymnesins abundance. Previous work showed acute toxicity to fathead minnow larvae was ameliorated after 2 h of sunlight exposure, and results observed herein found an identical trend. Acute toxicity disappeared in light exposed filtrate, but filtrate exposed to 35 ^°C without sunlight remained acutely toxic to fish. Additionally, six prymnesins were identified through high-resolution mass spectrometry and abundance corresponded to acute toxicity levels. Prymnesins were present at the highest level in filtrate that was acutely toxic but diminished in filtrate that was exposed to light and correspondingly ameliorated acute toxicity to fish. These findings suggest prymnesins are responsible for measured acute toxicity and are photo-labile, which represents an important implication for treatment strategies.