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Qin X, Lin H, Cao Y, Wu RSS, Lai KP, Kong RYC. Embryo developmental toxicity in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) due to parental and embryonic 17α-ethinylestradiol exposure. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 861:160594. [PMID: 36455722 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The synthetic estrogen 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) is a common component of hormone therapy and oral contraceptives and has been widely used for nearly 60 years. Numerous studies have shown that exposure to EE2 can affect embryonic development in a number of fish species. The effects of parental and embryonic EE2 exposure on embryo developmental toxicity and the underlying molecular mechanisms, however, have rarely been examined. In this study, embryos collected from parental EE2-exposed adult fish were examined to assess EE2-induecd toxicity during embryo development. The rate of embryo development including heart rate, hatching rate, and larval locomotion were measured to assess embryo developmental toxicity. The embryonic transcriptome was used to delineate the related developmental toxicity pathways. Our results suggest that parental and embryonic EE2 exposure resulted in growth retardation including a reduction in embryo heart rate, a delay in the appearance eye pigmentation, decreased hatching rate and impaired larval locomotion. In addition, gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) of transcriptome revealed that these impairments are controlled by estrogen receptor and related to eye structure, neuronal and synaptic structure, and behaviour. The key factors identified, including PRKAA2, APOB, EPHB2, OXTR, NR2E3, and POU4F2, could serve as biomarkers for assessing EE2-induced embryo developmental toxicity. For the first time, our results show that eye pigmentation is a potentially sensitive marker of EE2-induced embryo developmental toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Qin
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Huiju Lin
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Yaru Cao
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Rudolf Shiu Sun Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Keng Po Lai
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Integrative Omics, Guilin Medical University, Education Department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China; Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
| | - Richard Yuen Chong Kong
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
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2
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In vivo identification and validation of novel potential predictors for human cardiovascular diseases. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0261572. [PMID: 34919578 PMCID: PMC8682894 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetics crucially contributes to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the global leading cause of death. Since the majority of CVDs can be prevented by early intervention there is a high demand for the identification of predictive causative genes. While genome wide association studies (GWAS) correlate genes and CVDs after diagnosis and provide a valuable resource for such causative candidate genes, often preferentially those with previously known or suspected function are addressed further. To tackle the unaddressed blind spot of understudied genes, we particularly focused on the validation of human heart phenotype-associated GWAS candidates with little or no apparent connection to cardiac function. Building on the conservation of basic heart function and underlying genetics from fish to human we combined CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing of the orthologs of human GWAS candidates in isogenic medaka with automated high-throughput heart rate analysis. Our functional analyses of understudied human candidates uncovered a prominent fraction of heart rate associated genes from adult human patients impacting on the heart rate in embryonic medaka already in the injected generation. Following this pipeline, we identified 16 GWAS candidates with potential diagnostic and predictive power for human CVDs.
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3
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Wlodkowic D, Campana O. Toward High-Throughput Fish Embryo Toxicity Tests in Aquatic Toxicology. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:3505-3513. [PMID: 33656853 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c07688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Addressing the shift from classical animal testing to high-throughput in vitro and/or simplified in vivo proxy models has been defined as one of the upcoming challenges in aquatic toxicology. In this regard, the fish embryo toxicity test (FET) has gained significant popularity and wide standardization as one of the sensitive alternative approaches to acute fish toxicity tests in chemical risk assessment and water quality evaluation. Nevertheless, despite the growing regulatory acceptance, the actual manipulation, dispensing, and analysis of living fish embryos remains very labor intensive. Moreover, the FET is commonly performed in plastic multiwell plates under static or semistatic conditions, potentially inadequate for toxicity assessment of some organic, easily degradable or highly adsorptive toxicants. Recent technological advances in the field of mechatronics, fluidics and digital vision systems demonstrate promising future opportunities for automation of many analytical stages in embryo toxicity testing. In this review, we highlight emerging advances in fluidic and laboratory automation systems that can prospectively enable high-throughput FET testing (HT-FET) akin to pipelines commonly found in in vitro drug discovery pipelines. We also outline the existing challenges, barriers to future development and provide an outlook of ground-breaking fluidic technologies in embryo toxicity testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald Wlodkowic
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3083, Australia
| | - Olivia Campana
- University of Cadiz, INMAR, Puerto Real, Cadiz 11512, Spain
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Chen GW, Lee DY, Chen PJ. Use of embedded Chelex chelating resin and sediment toxicity bioassays with medaka embryos to determine the bioavailability and toxicity of lead-contaminated sediment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 745:140794. [PMID: 32731064 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The aquatic sediment acts as a reservoir for multiple sources of pollutants including toxic metals. Most analytical methods used for estimating the bioavailability of sediment heavy metals have not been biologically validated by correlation with an aquatic organism's response. A reliable whole-sediment contacting toxicity assay using vertebrate species is lacking and the exposure routes for sediment metals are unclear. This study established a novel bio-analytical approach involving the Chelex-100 resin detection system and sediment toxicity assessment with embryo-larval stages of medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) to evaluate the bioavailability and toxicity of lead (Pb) contamination in sediment to fish. Treated fish exposed to the Pb-spiked artificial sediment with whole-sediment exposure showed more dose-dependent toxic responses than those from pore- or overlying-water exposure extracted from the same sediment. The Chelex-100 resin-extractable Pb content was highly correlated with mortality, total malformation and Pb bioaccumulation in medaka embryos or hatchlings from Pb-spiked sediment at environmentally relevant concentrations. The environmental sediment with higher contents of clay or organic carbon showed lower potency of releasing Pb from sediment to overlying water, as compared to those observed with artificial sediment. Our results suggest that the bio-analytical method can be practically applied in situ to evaluate the adverse effect of heavy metal-contaminated sediment on the aquatic ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guan-Wei Chen
- Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Dar-Yuan Lee
- Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Jen Chen
- Department of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
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5
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Hara S, Furukawa F, Mukai K, Yazawa T, Kitano T. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha is involved in the temperature-induced sex differentiation of a vertebrate. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11672. [PMID: 32669596 PMCID: PMC7363821 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68594-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Medaka (Oryzias latipes) is a teleost fish with an XX/XY sex determination system, similar to that of mammals. However, under high temperature conditions, XX medaka is masculinised by elevation of cortisol, the major teleost glucocorticoid. In this study, to identify novel factors in the gonads acting downstream from cortisol during sexual differentiation, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis using the gonadal regions of larvae reared at normal temperature with and without cortisol, and at high temperature. The RNA-seq and real-time PCR analyses showed that expression of some peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) signalling-targeted genes was increased by cortisol. PPARα agonist treatment induced masculinisation of XX medaka in some cases, and co-treatment of the agonist with cortisol further induced masculinisation, whereas treatment of pparaa knockout medaka with cortisol or the agonist did not induce masculinisation. This study provides the first evidence that PPARα is involved in environmental sex determination in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seiji Hara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan
| | - Fumiya Furukawa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan
| | - Koki Mukai
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan
| | - Takashi Yazawa
- Department of Biochemistry, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Hokkaido, 078-8510, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kitano
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan.
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6
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Capela R, Garric J, Castro LFC, Santos MM. Embryo bioassays with aquatic animals for toxicity testing and hazard assessment of emerging pollutants: A review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 705:135740. [PMID: 31838430 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This review article gathers the available information on the use of embryo-tests as high-throughput tools for toxicity screening, hazard assessment and prioritization of new and existing chemical compounds. The approach is contextualized considering the new legal trends for animal experimentation, fostering the 3R policy, with reduction of experimental animals, addressing the potential of embryo-tests as high-throughput toxicity screening and prioritizing tools. Further, the current test guidelines, such as the ones provided by OECD and EPA, focus mainly in a limited number of animal lineages, particularly vertebrates and arthropods. To extrapolate hazard assessment to the ecosystem scale, a larger diversity of taxa should be tested. The use of new experimental animal models in toxicity testing, from a representative set of taxa, was thoroughly revised and discussed in this review. Here, we critically review current tools and the main advantages and drawbacks of different animal models and set researcher priorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Capela
- CIMAR/CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; FCUP - Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal; IRSTEA - National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture - Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne, 5 rue de la Doua, CS20244, 69625 Villeurbanne Cedex, Lyon-Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jeanne Garric
- IRSTEA - National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture - Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne, 5 rue de la Doua, CS20244, 69625 Villeurbanne Cedex, Lyon-Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Luís Filipe Costa Castro
- CIMAR/CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; FCUP - Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Miguel Machado Santos
- CIMAR/CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; FCUP - Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal.
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7
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Expression Signatures of Cisplatin- and Trametinib-Treated Early-Stage Medaka Melanomas. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2019; 9:2267-2276. [PMID: 31101653 PMCID: PMC6643878 DOI: 10.1534/g3.119.400051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Small aquarium fish models provide useful systems not only for a better understanding of the molecular basis of many human diseases, but also for first-line screening to identify new drug candidates. For testing new chemical substances, current strategies mostly rely on easy to perform and efficient embryonic screens. Cancer, however, is a disease that develops mainly during juvenile and adult stage. Long-term treatment and the challenge to monitor changes in tumor phenotype make testing of large chemical libraries in juvenile and adult animals cost prohibitive. We hypothesized that changes in the gene expression profile should occur early during anti-tumor treatment, and the disease-associated transcriptional change should provide a reliable readout that can be utilized to evaluate drug-induced effects. For the current study, we used a previously established medaka melanoma model. As proof of principle, we showed that exposure of melanoma developing fish to the drugs cisplatin or trametinib, known cancer therapies, for a period of seven days is sufficient to detect treatment-induced changes in gene expression. By examining whole body transcriptome responses we provide a novel route toward gene panels that recapitulate anti-tumor outcomes thus allowing a screening of thousands of drugs using a whole-body vertebrate model. Our results suggest that using disease-associated transcriptional change to screen therapeutic molecules in small fish model is viable and may be applied to pre-clinical research and development stages in new drug discovery.
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8
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Hammouda OT, Böttger F, Wittbrodt J, Thumberger T. Swift Large-scale Examination of Directed Genome Editing. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0213317. [PMID: 30835740 PMCID: PMC6400387 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
In the era of CRISPR gene editing and genetic screening, there is an increasing demand for quick and reliable nucleic acid extraction pipelines for rapid genotyping of large and diverse sample sets. Despite continuous improvements of current workflows, the handling-time and material costs per sample remain major limiting factors. Here we present a robust method for low-cost DIY-pipet tips addressing these needs; i.e. using a cellulose filter disc inserted into a regular pipet tip. These filter-in-tips allow for a rapid, stand-alone four-step genotyping workflow by simply binding the DNA contained in the primary lysate to the cellulose filter, washing it in water and eluting it directly into the buffer for the downstream application (e.g. PCR). This drastically cuts down processing time to maximum 30 seconds per sample, with the potential for parallelizing and automation. We show the ease and sensitivity of our procedure by genotyping genetically modified medaka (Oryzias latipes) and zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos (targeted by CRISPR/Cas9 knock-out and knock-in) in a 96-well plate format. The robust isolation and detection of multiple alleles of various abundancies in a mosaic genetic background allows phenotype-genotype correlation already in the injected generation, demonstrating the reliability and sensitivity of the protocol. Our method is applicable across kingdoms to samples ranging from cells to tissues i. e. plant seedlings, adult flies, mouse cell culture and tissue as well as adult fish fin-clips.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar T. Hammouda
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Heidelberg Biosciences International Graduate School, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Frank Böttger
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Joachim Wittbrodt
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Thumberger
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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9
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Yamaguchi A, Ishibashi H, Kono S, Iida M, Uchida M, Arizono K, Tominaga N. Nanosecond pulsed electric field incorporation technique to predict molecular mechanisms of teratogenicity and developmental toxicity of estradiol-17β on medaka embryos. J Appl Toxicol 2017; 38:714-723. [PMID: 29280155 DOI: 10.1002/jat.3579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Revised: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Herein, we propose using a nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) technique to assess teratogenicity and embryonic developmental toxicity of estradiol-17β (E2 ) and predict the molecular mechanisms of teratogenicity and embryonic developmental defects caused by E2 on medaka (Oryzias latipes). The 5 hour post-fertilization embryos were exposed to co-treatment with 10 μm E2 and nsPEF for 2 hours and then continuously cultured under non-E2 and nsPEF conditions until hatching. Results documented that the time to hatching of embryos was significantly delayed in comparison to the control group and that typical abnormal embryo development, such as the delay of blood vessel formation, was observed. For DNA microarray analysis, 6 day post-fertilization embryos that had been continuously cultured under the non-E2 and nsPEF condition after 2 hour co-treatments were used. DNA microarray analysis identified 542 upregulated genes and one downregulated gene in the 6 day post-fertilization embryos. Furthermore, bioinformatic analyses using differentially expressed genes revealed that E2 exposure affected various gene ontology terms, such as response to hormone stimulus. The network analysis also documented that the estrogen receptor α in the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway may be involved in regulating several transcription factors, such as FOX, AKT1 and epidermal growth factor receptor. These results suggest that our nsPEF technique is a powerful tool for assessing teratogenicity and embryonic developmental toxicity of E2 and predict their molecular mechanisms in medaka embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akemi Yamaguchi
- Department of Creative Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Ariake College, 150 Higashi-Hagio, Omuta, Fukuoka, 836-8585, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Ishibashi
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Ehime University, 3-5-7 Tarumi, Matsuyama, 790-8566, Japan
| | - Susumu Kono
- Department of Creative Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Ariake College, 150 Higashi-Hagio, Omuta, Fukuoka, 836-8585, Japan
| | - Midori Iida
- Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 680-4 Kawazu, Iizuka, Fukuoka, 820-0067, Japan
| | - Masaya Uchida
- Department of Creative Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Ariake College, 150 Higashi-Hagio, Omuta, Fukuoka, 836-8585, Japan.,Mizuki Biotech, Co., Ltd., 1-1 Hyakunenkouen, Kurume, Fukuoka, 839-0864, Japan
| | - Koji Arizono
- Faculty of Environmental and Symbiotic Sciences, Prefectural University of Kumamoto, 3-1-100 Tsukide, Higashi-ku, Kumamoto, 862-8502, Japan
| | - Nobuaki Tominaga
- Department of Creative Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Ariake College, 150 Higashi-Hagio, Omuta, Fukuoka, 836-8585, Japan
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10
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Mu J, Chernick M, Dong W, Di Giulio RT, Hinton DE. Early life co-exposures to a real-world PAH mixture and hypoxia result in later life and next generation consequences in medaka (Oryzias latipes). AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2017; 190:162-173. [PMID: 28728047 PMCID: PMC5584607 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2017.06.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Revised: 06/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/25/2017] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Acute effects of individual and complex mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are well documented in vertebrate species. Hypoxia in fish reduces metabolic rate and reproduction. However, less is known about the later life consequences stemming from early-life exposure to PAHs or hypoxia, particularly their co-exposure. To address this, medaka (Oryzias latipes) embryos were exposed to a complex PAH mixture sediment extract from the Elizabeth River, VA (ERSE) at concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, or 1.0% or to one of three different hypoxia scenarios: continuous, nocturnal, or late stage embryogenesis hypoxia. Co-exposures with 0.1% ERSE and each of the hypoxia scenarios were conducted. Results included decreased survival with ERSE, hatching delays with hypoxia, and higher occurrences of deformities with each. The continuous hypoxia scenario caused the most significant changes in all endpoints. These early-life exposures altered later-life growth, impaired reproductive capacity, and reduced the quality of their offspring. ERSE alone resulted in a female-biased sex ratio while continuous or nocturnal hypoxia produced significantly greater numbers of males; and co-exposure produced an equal sex ratio. Exposure to a PAH mixture and hypoxia during early life stages has meaningful later-life and next generational consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingli Mu
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Key Laboratory for Ecological Environment in Coastal Areas (SOA), National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Melissa Chernick
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Wu Dong
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; College of Animal Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia University for the Nationalities/Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Toxicant Monitoring and Toxicology, Tongliao, China
| | | | - David E Hinton
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
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11
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Puybareau E, Genest D, Barbeau E, Léonard M, Talbot H. An automated assay for the assessment of cardiac arrest in fish embryo. Comput Biol Med 2017; 81:32-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2016.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2016] [Revised: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/11/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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12
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Davis A, Reubens MC, Stellwag EJ. Functional and Comparative Genomics of Hoxa2 Gene cis-Regulatory Elements: Evidence for Evolutionary Modification of Ancestral Core Element Activity. J Dev Biol 2016; 4:jdb4020015. [PMID: 29615583 PMCID: PMC5831782 DOI: 10.3390/jdb4020015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Revised: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Hoxa2 is an evolutionarily conserved developmental regulatory gene that functions to specify rhombomere (r) and pharyngeal arch (PA) identities throughout the Osteichthyes. Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) hoxa2a, like orthologous Hoxa2 genes from other osteichthyans, is expressed during embryogenesis in r2–7 and PA2-7, whereas the paralogous medaka pseudogene, ψhoxa2b, is expressed in noncanonical Hoxa2 domains, including the pectoral fin buds. To understand the evolution of cis-regulatory element (CRE) control of gene expression, we conducted eGFP reporter gene expression studies with extensive functional mapping of several conserved CREs upstream of medaka hoxa2a and ψhoxa2b in transient and stable-line transgenic medaka embryos. The CREs tested were previously shown to contribute to directing mouse Hoxa2 gene expression in r3, r5, and PA2-4. Our results reveal the presence of sequence elements embedded in the medaka hoxa2a and ψhoxa2b upstream enhancer regions (UERs) that mediate expression in r4 and the PAs (hoxa2a r4/CNCC element) or in r3–7 and the PAs ψhoxa2b r3–7/CNCC element), respectively. Further, these elements were shown to be highly conserved among osteichthyans, which suggests that the r4 specifying element embedded in the UER of Hoxa2 is a deeply rooted rhombomere specifying element and the activity of this element has been modified by the evolution of flanking sequences that redirect its activity to alternative developmental compartments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Davis
- Department of Biology and Physical Sciences, Gordon State College, Barnesville, GA 30204, USA.
| | - Michael C Reubens
- The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 N, Torrey Pines Road, MB3, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
| | - Edmund J Stellwag
- Department of Biology, Howell Science Complex, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA.
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13
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Nam SH, Shin YJ, Lee WM, Kim SW, Kwak JI, Yoon SJ, An YJ. Conducting a battery of bioassays for gold nanoparticles to derive guideline value for the protection of aquatic ecosystems. Nanotoxicology 2014; 9:326-35. [PMID: 24983899 DOI: 10.3109/17435390.2014.930531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) are used in many applications, including the manufacture of products like cosmetics, paints, and electrochemical immunosensors, and in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of tumors. However, there are no legal or recommended guidelines for protecting aquatic ecosystems from Au-NPs. In this study, we conducted a battery of bioassays and present toxicity values for two bacteria, one alga, one euglena, three cladoceran, and two fish species that were exposed to Au-NPs. Guideline values for protecting aquatic ecosystems from Au-NPs were derived using methods that are generally used to derive water-quality guidelines and are used in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the European Community (EC), and the USA. Au-NPs had adverse effects on all test species, including growth inhibition of both bacteria, the alga, and the euglena; mortality and immobilization in the three cladocerans; and developmental malformations in the embryos and larvae of the two fish. Guideline values of 0.15 and 0.04 × 10(10) particles/mL were derived for Au-NPs using a species sensitivity distribution (SSD) and assessment factor. The guideline value derived for Au-NPs using an assessment factor was more stringent than that derived using SSD. This is the first study to derive guideline values for nanoparticles in water environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sun-Hwa Nam
- Department of Environmental Science, Konkuk University , Seoul , Korea
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14
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González-Doncel M, Torija CF, Beltrán EM, García-Mauriño JE, Sastre S, Carbonell G. Limitations of waterborne exposure of fish early life stages to BDE-47. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2014; 148:184-194. [PMID: 24508762 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2014.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2013] [Revised: 12/10/2013] [Accepted: 01/15/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
2,2',4,4'-Tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) is acknowledged as the most abundant congener of all polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Despite its limited residence in the water column, most ecotoxicological research using fish early life stages (ELS) has focused on its waterborne bioavailability. These studies have been supported either by chemical analysis in solutions or in tissues after ≤ 168 h exposures to relatively high waterborne concentrations with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvent carrier (≤ 0.5%). Using noninvasive physiological and anatomical features in medaka ELS, we investigated the viability of waterborne BDE-47 exposures (100-10,000 μg/L; 1% DMSO) and evaluated the developmental effects in relation to the actual BDE-47 present in water. Embryos were exposed for 10 days under semi-static (24-h renewal) conditions and waterborne BDE-47 concentrations (i.e., dissolved) were quantitated daily and their accumulation in eleutheroembryonic tissues was analyzed 4 days after exposures finished. BDE-47 in solution rapidly decreased after each renewal by >50% in 24h. This was confirmed by discernible precipitation occurring at ≥ 5,000 μg/L on the bottom of the container and attached to the chorionic filaments of eggshell. The fast dissipation from water may explain why, besides the subtle, yet significant effects on post-hatching growth (short length at ≥5000μg/L), no other significant deleterious developmental effects were observed despite the fact that BDE-47 accumulated in tissues in response to BDE-47 treatment. Waterborne BDE-47 exposure was unachievable under traditional semi-static exposure conditions, but was achievable in repeated pulse exposures lasting a few hours whenever the medium was renewed. Hence, this research encourages the use of alternate - more realistic - exposure routes (e.g., particulate matter or sediments) when evaluating early developmental toxicity of BDE-47 or any other PBDE sharing similar properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel González-Doncel
- Laboratory for Ecotoxicology, Department of the Environment, National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, A-6, Km. 7.5, E-28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Carlos Fernández Torija
- Laboratory for Ecotoxicology, Department of the Environment, National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, A-6, Km. 7.5, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Eulalia María Beltrán
- Laboratory for Ecotoxicology, Department of the Environment, National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, A-6, Km. 7.5, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - José Enrique García-Mauriño
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Complutense University, Ciudad Universitaria, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Salvador Sastre
- Laboratory of Forest Soils, Department of Forest Ecology, National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, A-6, Km. 7.5, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Gregoria Carbonell
- Laboratory for Ecotoxicology, Department of the Environment, National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, A-6, Km. 7.5, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
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15
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Nam SH, Lee WM, Shin YJ, Yoon SJ, Kim SW, Kwak JI, An YJ. Derivation of guideline values for gold (III) ion toxicity limits to protect aquatic ecosystems. WATER RESEARCH 2014; 48:126-36. [PMID: 24094731 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2013.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2013] [Revised: 07/30/2013] [Accepted: 09/10/2013] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
This study focused on estimating the toxicity values of various aquatic organisms exposed to gold (III) ion (Au(3+)), and to propose maximum guideline values for Au(3+) toxicity that protect the aquatic ecosystem. A comparative assessment of methods developed in Australia and New Zealand versus the European Community (EC) was conducted. The test species used in this study included two bacteria (Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis), one alga (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata), one euglena (Euglena gracilis), three cladocerans (Daphnia magna, Moina macrocopa, and Simocephalus mixtus), and two fish (Danio rerio and Oryzias latipes). Au(3+) induced growth inhibition, mortality, immobilization, and/or developmental malformations in all test species, with responses being concentration-dependent. According to the moderate reliability method of Australia and New Zealand, 0.006 and 0.075 mg/L of guideline values for Au(3+) were obtained by dividing 0.33 and 4.46 mg/L of HC5 and HC50 species sensitivity distributions (SSD) with an FACR (Final Acute to Chronic Ratio) of 59.09. In contrast, the EC method uses an assessment factor (AF), with the 0.0006 mg/L guideline value for Au(3+) being divided with the 48-h EC50 value for 0.60 mg/L (the lowest toxicity value obtained from short term results) by an AF of 1000. The Au(3+) guideline value derived using an AF was more stringent than the SSD. We recommend that more toxicity data using various bioassays are required to develop more accurate ecological risk assessments. More chronic/long-term exposure studies on sensitive endpoints using additional fish species and invertebrates not included in the current dataset will be needed to use other derivation methods (e.g., US EPA and Canadian Type A) or the "High Reliability Method" from Australia/New Zealand. Such research would facilitate the establishment of guideline values for various pollutants that reflect the universal effects of various pollutants in aquatic ecosystems. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to suggest guideline values for Au(3+) levels permitted to enter freshwater environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sun-Hwa Nam
- Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University, 1 Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 143-701, Republic of Korea
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16
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Jung G, Hug M, Halter C, Friesenhengst A, Walzer J, Czerny T. Diffusion of small molecules into medaka embryos improved by electroporation. BMC Biotechnol 2013; 13:53. [PMID: 23815821 PMCID: PMC3716799 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6750-13-53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2013] [Accepted: 06/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diffusion of small molecules into fish embryos is essential for many experimental procedures in developmental biology and toxicology. Since we observed a weak uptake of lithium into medaka eggs we started a detailed analysis of its diffusion properties using small fluorescent molecules. RESULTS Contrary to our expectations, not the rigid outer chorion but instead membrane systems surrounding the embryo/yolk turned out to be the limiting factor for diffusion into medaka eggs. The consequence is a bi-phasic uptake of small molecules first reaching the pervitelline space with a diffusion half-time in the range of a few minutes. This is followed by a slow second phase (half-time in the range of several hours) during which accumulation in the embryo/yolk takes place. Treatment with detergents improved the uptake, but strongly affected the internal distribution of the molecules. Testing electroporation we could establish conditions to overcome the diffusion barrier. Applying this method to lithium chloride we observed anterior truncations in medaka embryos in agreement with its proposed activation of Wnt signalling. CONCLUSIONS The diffusion of small molecules into medaka embryos is slow, caused by membrane systems underneath the chorion. These results have important implications for pharmacologic/toxicologic techniques like the fish embryo test, which therefore require extended incubation times in order to reach sufficient concentrations in the embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerlinde Jung
- Department for Applied Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences, FH Campus Wien, Helmut-Qualtinger-Gasse 2, A-1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Markus Hug
- Department for Applied Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences, FH Campus Wien, Helmut-Qualtinger-Gasse 2, A-1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Halter
- Department for Engineering, University of Applied Sciences, FH Campus Wien, Favoritenstrasse 226, A-1100, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrea Friesenhengst
- Department for Applied Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences, FH Campus Wien, Helmut-Qualtinger-Gasse 2, A-1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Johann Walzer
- Department for Engineering, University of Applied Sciences, FH Campus Wien, Favoritenstrasse 226, A-1100, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Czerny
- Department for Applied Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences, FH Campus Wien, Helmut-Qualtinger-Gasse 2, A-1030, Vienna, Austria
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17
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Haron MH, Avula B, Khan IA, Mathur SK, Dasmahapatra AK. Modulation of ethanol toxicity by Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) in Japanese ricefish (Oryzias latipes) embryogenesis. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2013; 157:287-97. [PMID: 23402931 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2013.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2012] [Revised: 02/02/2013] [Accepted: 02/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol consumption by women during pregnancy often induces fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in children who have serious central nervous system (CNS), cardiovascular, and craniofacial defects. Prevention of FASD, other than women abstaining from alcohol drinking during pregnancy, is not known. A limitation of the use of synthetic anti-alcoholic drugs during pregnancy led us to investigate herbal products. In particular, many plants including Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) have therapeutic potential for the treatment of alcoholism. We used Japanese ricefish (medaka) (Oryzias latipes), an animal model of FASD, for identifying herbal medicines that can attenuate ethanol toxicity. Fertilized eggs in standard laboratory conditions were exposed to ginseng (PG) root extract (0-2 mg/mL) either 0-2 (group A) or 1-3 (group B) day post fertilization (dpf) followed by maintenance in a clean hatching solution. The calculated IC50 as determined 10 dpf in A and B groups were 355.3±1.12 and 679.7±1.6 μg/mL, respectively. Simultaneous exposure of embryos in sub-lethal concentrations of PG (50-200 μg/mL) and ethanol (300 mM) for 48 h disrupted vessel circulation and enhanced mortality. However, PG (100 μg/mL) may partially protect trabecular cartilage (TC) deformities in the neurocranium in B group embryos induced by ethanol (300 mM). To understand the mechanism, embryonic ethanol concentration was measured at 2 dpf and adh5, adh8, aldh2, aldh9a, catalase, GST, and GR mRNAs were analyzed at 6 dpf. It was observed that although ethanol is able to reduce adh8 and GST mRNA contents, the simultaneous addition of PG was unable to alter ethanol level as well as mRNA contents in these embryos. Therefore, antagonistic effects of PG on ethanol toxicity are mediated by a mechanism which is different from those regulating ethanol metabolism and oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- M H Haron
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
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18
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Feng D, Rittschof D, Orihuela B, Kwok KWH, Stafslien S, Chisholm B. The effects of model polysiloxane and fouling-release coatings on embryonic development of a sea urchin (Arbacia punctulata) and a fish (Oryzias latipes). AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2012; 110-111:162-169. [PMID: 22326653 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2012.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2011] [Revised: 01/04/2012] [Accepted: 01/06/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades attention has focused on the development of non-toxic fouling-release coatings based on silicone polymers as an alternative to toxic antifouling coatings. As fouling-release coatings gain market share, they will contribute to environmental contamination by silicones. We report effects of eight model polysiloxane and three commercial foul-release coatings on embryonic development of sea urchins and fish, Japanese medaka. We used model coatings because they have known composition and commercially available components and molecules leaching from these coatings have been partially characterized. The commercial fouling-release coatings are purported to be non-toxic and components are proprietary. Our goal was to expose embryos of well studied model animals to the coatings to determine if the complex mixtures leaching from the coatings impact development. Urchins were chosen because development is rapid and embryos can enter the non-slip layer over surfaces. Medaka was chosen because the female deposits the sticky eggs onto the anal fin and then scrapes them off onto surfaces. Embryos were confined in water over coatings in 24 well plates. Fresh model coatings had no effect on urchin development while commercial fouling-release coatings inhibited development. Fish embryos had delayed hatching, increased mortality of hatchlings and dramatically decreased ability of hatchlings to inflate the swim bladder and reduced hatching success on all coatings. After one-month immersion of coatings in running seawater to simulate initial application in the marine environment, sea urchin embryos died when placed over model silicones. Effects of the commercial coatings were reduced but included retarded development. Effects on fish embryos over leached coating were reduced compared to those of fresh coating and included decreased hatching success, decreased hatchling survival and inability to inflate the swim bladder for commercial coatings. These findings suggest, similar to medical conclusions, compounds leaching from silicone coatings can impact development and the topic deserves study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danqing Feng
- Duke University Marine Laboratory, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, United States
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19
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Cheung NKM, Hinton DE, Au DWT. A high-throughput histoarray for quantitative molecular profiling of multiple, uniformly oriented medaka (Oryzias latipes) embryos. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2012; 155:18-25. [PMID: 21664293 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2011.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2011] [Revised: 05/18/2011] [Accepted: 05/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Embryos of aquatic animal model fish have proven to be useful organisms for developmental biology and for early life stage toxicity tests. By virtue of their transparent chorions, imaging of normal and abnormal development can be detected and related to exposure or to alterations due to environmental factors. However, the detection of changes at sub-individual levels of organization is hampered by time required to detect important events within cells and tissues of affected organisms. We describe herein development of a highly cost effective embryo chip enabling stringent inter-individual comparisons and multiplex detection in embryos and eleutheroembryos. As a proof of principle we examine cell proliferation and controlled cell death in normoxic and hypoxic conditions and relate these to tissue turnover in individual organisms. Coupled with a recently developed whole adult animal platform, we can now move beyond the common approach focusing on single target organ to the detection and characterization of systemic phenomena (syndromes) affecting the organism. Taken together, we can now determine adult consequences of early life stage exposure and assess ability of exposed individuals to respond to stresses superimposed along the axis of time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Napo K M Cheung
- State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution and Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
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20
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Hardy ML, Krueger HO, Blankinship AS, Thomas S, Kendall TZ, Desjardins D. Studies and evaluation of the potential toxicity of decabromodiphenyl ethane to five aquatic and sediment organisms. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2012; 75:73-79. [PMID: 21862128 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2011.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2011] [Revised: 08/02/2011] [Accepted: 08/06/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The potential toxicity of decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDP-Ethane) was explored in 5 types of organisms residing in the water column and/or sediment, e.g. Oncorhynchus mykiss, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Daphnia magna, Chironmus riparius, and Lumbriculus variegates. Fish, algae or Daphnia were unaffected by acute exposures to water accommodated fractions of 110mg DBDP-Ethane/L. Chronic exposure to DBDP-Ethane at the highest dose tested, 5000mg/kg dry sediment, did not affect midge mean development times, emergence or development rates or oligochaete survival, reproduction or dry weight. The chronic EC50, LOEC and NOEC were ≥5000mg/kg in the two sediment species. Applying an assessment factor of 50, the unbounded predicted no effect concentration (PNEC(sediment)) was 100mg/kg dry sediment. The calculated PNEC indicates DBDPE-Ethane presents little risk to sediment organisms. These results add to DBDP-Ethane's existing database in the terrestrial compartment and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L Hardy
- Albemarle Corporation, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, USA.
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21
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Padilla S, Corum D, Padnos B, Hunter DL, Beam A, Houck KA, Sipes N, Kleinstreuer N, Knudsen T, Dix DJ, Reif DM. Zebrafish developmental screening of the ToxCast™ Phase I chemical library. Reprod Toxicol 2011; 33:174-87. [PMID: 22182468 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2011.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 227] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2011] [Revised: 09/28/2011] [Accepted: 10/28/2011] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an emerging toxicity screening model for both human health and ecology. As part of the Computational Toxicology Research Program of the U.S. EPA, the toxicity of the 309 ToxCast™ Phase I chemicals was assessed using a zebrafish screen for developmental toxicity. All exposures were by immersion from 6-8 h post fertilization (hpf) to 5 days post fertilization (dpf); nominal concentration range of 1 nM-80 μM. On 6 dpf larvae were assessed for death and overt structural defects. Results revealed that the majority (62%) of chemicals were toxic to the developing zebrafish; both toxicity incidence and potency was correlated with chemical class and hydrophobicity (logP); and inter-and intra-plate replicates showed good agreement. The zebrafish embryo screen, by providing an integrated model of the developing vertebrate, compliments the ToxCast assay portfolio and has the potential to provide information relative to overt and organismal toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Padilla
- National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27712, USA.
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22
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Fan CY, Simmons SO, Law SHW, Jensen K, Cowden J, Hinton D, Padilla S, Ramabhadran R. Generation and characterization of neurogenin1-GFP transgenic medaka with potential for rapid developmental neurotoxicity screening. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2011; 105:127-135. [PMID: 21718657 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2011.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2011] [Revised: 05/23/2011] [Accepted: 05/28/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Fish models such as zebrafish and medaka are increasingly used as alternatives to rodents in developmental and toxicological studies. These developmental and toxicological studies can be facilitated by the use of transgenic reporters that permit the real-time, noninvasive observation of the fish. Here we report the construction and characterization of transgenic medaka lines expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of the zebrafish neurogenin 1 (ngn1) gene promoter. Neurogenin (ngn1) is a helix-loop-helix transcription factor expressed in proliferating neuronal progenitor cells early in neuronal differentiation and plays a crucial role in directing neurogenesis. GFP expression was detected from 24 h post-fertilization until hatching, in a spatial pattern consistent with the previously reported zebrafish ngn1 expression. Temporal expression of the transgene parallels the expression profile of the endogenous medaka ngn1 transcript. Further, we demonstrate that embryos from the transgenic line permit the non-destructive, real-time screening of ngn1 promoter-directed GFP expression in a 96-well format, enabling higher throughput studies of developmental neurotoxicants. This strain has been deposited with and maintained by the National BioResource Project and is available on request (http://www.shigen.nig.ac.jp/medaka/strainDetailAction.do?quickSearch=true&strainId=5660).
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Yang Fan
- Integrated Systems Toxicology and Toxicity Assessment Divisions, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, US EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
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23
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Padilla S, Cowden J, Hinton DE, Yuen B, Law S, Kullman SW, Johnson R, Hardman RC, Flynn K, Au DWT. Use of medaka in toxicity testing. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; Chapter 1:Unit1.10. [PMID: 20922755 DOI: 10.1002/0471140856.tx0110s39] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Small aquarium fishes are increasingly used as animal models, and one of these, the Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes), is frequently utilized for toxicity testing. While these vertebrates have many similarities with their terrestrial counterparts, there are differences that must be considered if these organisms are to be used to their highest potential. Commonly, testing may employ either the developing embryo or adults; both are easy to use and work with. To illustrate the utility and breadth of toxicity testing possible using medaka fish, we present protocols for assessing neurotoxicity in developing embryos, evaluating toxicant effects on sexual phenotype after treatment with endocrine-disrupting chemicals by sexual genotyping, and measuring hepatotoxicity in adult fish after treatment with a model hepatotoxicant. The methods run the gamut from immunohistology through PCR to basic histological techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Padilla
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
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24
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Selderslaghs IW, Van Rompay AR, De Coen W, Witters HE. Development of a screening assay to identify teratogenic and embryotoxic chemicals using the zebrafish embryo. Reprod Toxicol 2009; 28:308-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2009.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2009] [Revised: 04/07/2009] [Accepted: 05/06/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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25
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Wiesner MR, Lowry GV, Jones KL, Hochella MF, Di Giulio RT, Casman E, Bernhardt ES. Decreasing uncertainties in assessing environmental exposure, risk, and ecological implications of nanomaterials. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2009; 43:6458-6462. [PMID: 19764202 DOI: 10.1021/es803621k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Determining the fate and interactions of nanomaterials in complex environmental contexts is required to assess exposure and possible harm as well as to inform regulation. As the nanotechnology industry moves up into the rarified air of trillion dollar economics over the next several years (1), the number of simple and complex manufactured nanomaterials (NMs), and their uses, will grow tremendously. Large-scale production of engineered NMs presents the possibility that organisms and ecosystems may be exposed to new levels and qualities of substances with unknown consequences. Naturally occurring nanoscale materials are also ubiquitous in the biosphere, comprising the very building blocks of life and likely playing an important role in ecosystem
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark R Wiesner
- Center for the Environmental Implications of Nano Technology, Duke University Durham, North Carolina, USA
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26
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Simmons SO, Fan CY, Ramabhadran R. Cellular stress response pathway system as a sentinel ensemble in toxicological screening. Toxicol Sci 2009; 111:202-25. [PMID: 19567883 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfp140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 219] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
High costs, long test times, and societal concerns related to animal use have required the development of in vitro assays for the rapid and cost-effective toxicological evaluation and characterization of compounds in both the pharmaceutical and environmental arenas. Although the pharmaceutical industry has developed very effective, high-throughput in vitro assays for determining the therapeutic potential of compounds, the application of this approach to toxicological screening has been limited. A primary reason for this is that while drug candidate screens are directed to a specific target/mechanism, xenobiotics can cause toxicity through any of a myriad of undefined interactions with cellular components and processes. Given that it is not practical to design assays that can interrogate each potential toxicological target, an integrative approach is required if there is to be a rapid and low-cost toxicological evaluation of chemicals. Cellular stress response pathways offer a viable solution to the creation of a set of integrative assays as there is a limited and hence manageable set (a small ensemble of 10 or less) of major cellular stress response pathways through which cells mount a homoeostatic response to toxicants and which also participate in cell fate/death decisions. Further, over the past decades, these pathways have been well characterized at a molecular level thereby enabling the development of high-throughput cell-based assays using the components of the pathways. Utilization of the set of cellular stress response pathway-based assays as indicators of toxic interactions of chemicals with basic cellular machinery will potentially permit the clustering of chemicals based on biological response profiles of common mode of action (MOA) and also the inference of the specific MOA of a toxicant. This article reviews the biochemical characteristics of the stress response pathways, their common architecture that enables rapid activation during stress, their participation in cell fate decisions, the essential nature of these pathways to the organism, and the biochemical basis of their cross-talk that permits an assay ensemble screening approach. Subsequent sections describe how the stress pathway ensemble assay approach could be applied to screening potentially toxic compounds and discuss how this approach may be used to derive toxicant MOA from the biological activity profiles that the ensemble strategy provides. The article concludes with a review of the application of the stress assay concept to noninvasive in vivo assessments of chemical toxicants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven O Simmons
- Integrated Systems Toxicology Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, USA
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27
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Hinton DE, Hardman RC, Kullman SW, (Mac) Law JM, Schmale MC, Walter RB, Winn RN, Yoder JA. Aquatic animal models of human disease: selected papers and recommendations from the 4th Conference. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2009; 149:121-8. [PMID: 19150511 PMCID: PMC2676715 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2008.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David E. Hinton
- Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Box 90328, A333B LSRC, Durham, NC 27708-0328, USA, Email address: , Tel.: +1 919 613 8038, Fax.: +1 919 684 8741
| | - Ron C. Hardman
- Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Box 90328, A333A LSRC, Durham, NC 27708-0328, USA, Email address: , Tel.: +1 919 613 8038, Fax.: +1 919 684 8741
| | - Seth W. Kullman
- Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Box 7633, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7633, Email address: , Tel.: +1 919 515 2274, Fax.: +1 919 515 7169
| | - Jerry M. (Mac) Law
- Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 4700 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27606, Email address: , Tel.: +1 919 515 7411, Fax.: +1 919 515 3044
| | - Michael C. Schmale
- Division of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Cswy. Miami, FL 33149, USA, Email address: , Tel.:+1 305 421 4140, Fax.: +1 305 421 4600
| | - Ronald B. Walter
- Molecular Biosciences Research Group, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 419 Centennial Hall, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666, Email address: , Tel.: +1 512 245 0357, Fax.: +1 512 245 1922
| | - Richard N. Winn
- Aquatic Biotechnology and Environmental Lab (ABEL), 2580 Devil’s Ford Road, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA, Email address: , Tel.: +1 706 369 5858, Fax.: +1 706 353 2620
| | - Jeffrey A. Yoder
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 4700 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27606 USA, Email address: , Tel.: +1 919 515 7406, Fax.: +1 919 513 7301
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Japanese medakaHoxparalog group 2: insights into the evolution ofHoxPG2 gene composition and expression in the Osteichthyes. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2008; 310:623-41. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.21236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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Locomotion in larval zebrafish: Influence of time of day, lighting and ethanol. Neurotoxicology 2008; 30:52-8. [PMID: 18952124 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2008.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 317] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2008] [Revised: 09/18/2008] [Accepted: 09/18/2008] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The increasing use of zebrafish (Danio rerio) in developmental research highlights the need for a detailed understanding of their behavior. We studied the locomotion of individual zebrafish larva (6 days post-fertilization) in 96-well microtiter plates. Movement was recorded using a video-tracking system. Time of day results indicated locomotion, tested in darkness (infrared), decreased gradually from early morning to a stable level between 13:00 and 15:30 h. All further studies were conducted in early-to-late afternoon and lasted approximately 1 h. Each study also began with a period of darkness to minimize any unintended stimulation caused by transferring the plates to the recording platform. Locomotion in darkness increased initially to a maximum at 4 min, then decreased steadily to a low level by 20 min. Locomotion during light was initially low and then gradually increased to a stable level after 20 min. When 10-min periods of light and dark were alternated, activity was low in light and high in dark; curiously, activity during alternating dark periods was markedly higher than originally obtained during either extended dark or light. Further experiments explored the variables influencing this alternating pattern of activity. Varying the duration of the initial dark period (10-20 min) did not affect subsequent activity in either light or dark. The activity increase on return to dark was, however, greater following 15 min than 5 min of light. Acute ethanol increased activity at 1 and 2% and severely decreased activity at 4%. One-percent ethanol retarded the transition in activity from dark to light, and the habituation of activity in dark, while 2% ethanol increased activity regardless of lighting condition. Collectively, these results show that locomotion in larval zebrafish can be reliably measured in a 96-well microtiter plate format, and is sensitive to time of day, lighting conditions, and ethanol.
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Carney MW, Erwin K, Hardman R, Yuen B, Volz DC, Hinton DE, Kullman SW. Differential developmental toxicity of naphthoic acid isomers in medaka (Oryzias latipes) embryos. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2008; 57:255-66. [PMID: 18433798 PMCID: PMC4299470 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.02.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2007] [Revised: 02/19/2008] [Accepted: 02/21/2008] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread persistent pollutants that readily undergo biotic and abiotic conversion to numerous transformation products in rivers, lakes and estuarine sediments. Here we characterize the developmental toxicity of four PAH transformation products each structural isomers of hydroxynaphthoic acid: 1H2NA, 2H1NA, 2H3NA, and 6H2NA. Medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) embryos and eleutheroembryos were used to determine toxicity. A 96-well micro-plate format was used to establish a robust, statistically significant platform for assessment of early life stages. Individual naphthoic acid isomers demonstrated a rank order of toxicity with 1H2NA>2H1NA>2H3NA>6H2NA being more toxic. Abnormalities of circulatory system were most pronounced including pericardial edema and tube heart. To determine if HNA isomers were AhR ligands, spatial-temporal expression and activity of CYP1A was measured via in vivo EROD assessments. qPCR measurement of CYP1A induction proved different between isomers dosed at respective concentrations affecting 50% of exposed individuals (EC50s). In vitro, all ANH isomers transactivated mouse AhR using a medaka CYP1A promoter specific reporter assay. Circulatory abnormalities followed P450 induction and response was consistent with PAH toxicity. A 96-well micro-plates proved suitable as exposure chambers and provided statistically sound evaluations as well as efficient toxicity screens. Our results demonstrate the use of medaka embryos for toxicity analysis thereby achieving REACH objectives for the reduction of adult animal testing in toxicity evaluations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W. Carney
- Laboratory of Molecular Aquatic Toxicology, Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0328, United States
| | - Kyle Erwin
- Laboratory of Molecular Aquatic Toxicology, Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0328, United States
| | - Ron Hardman
- Laboratory of Molecular Aquatic Toxicology, Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0328, United States
| | - Bonny Yuen
- Laboratory of Molecular Aquatic Toxicology, Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0328, United States
| | - David C. Volz
- Laboratory of Molecular Aquatic Toxicology, Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0328, United States
| | - David E. Hinton
- Laboratory of Molecular Aquatic Toxicology, Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0328, United States
| | - Seth W. Kullman
- Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, United States
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31
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Oxendine SL, Cowden J, Hinton DE, Padilla S. Vulnerable windows for developmental ethanol toxicity in the Japanese medaka fish (Oryzias latipes). AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2006; 80:396-404. [PMID: 17125851 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2006.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2006] [Revised: 10/17/2006] [Accepted: 10/19/2006] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Ethanol (EtOH) is a well-known developmental toxicant that produces a range of abnormal phenotypes in mammalian systems including craniofacial abnormalities, cognitive deficits and growth retardation. While the toxic potential of developmental EtOH exposure is well characterized clinically, the effect of timing on the extent of toxicity remains unknown. Fish models such as the Japanese medaka, Oryzias latipes, provide a convenient system for investigating the effects of developmental EtOH exposure in vivo. In this study, medaka embryo toxicity tests were used to assess temporal variations in developmental EtOH toxicity. Fertilized eggs were collected and incubated during early, middle or late egg development (e.g., 0-3, 3-6 or 6-9 days post-fertilization) with various sub-lethal concentrations of EtOH [0.1% (17.2 mM), 0.5% (86.0 mM) or 1% (172 mM)]. Uptake of EtOH by the embryo was 60-68% of the solution concentration across all windows. Time to hatch, head width, total body length and whole embryo caspase activity were used to assess toxicity. Hatching delays were noted only at the highest concentration of EtOH. Head width was affected at all ethanol levels, regardless of the window of exposure. EtOH-induced decreases in body length, however, appeared to be most pronounced when exposure occurred either during the first or last window. The effect on caspase-3/7 activity also depended on the window of exposure, with increases in caspase noted in embryos treated on days 1 or 2 (first window) and decreases seen in embryos treated on day 6 (second window) or day 8 (third window). In general, these data suggest that critical periods for heightened sensitivity to developmental EtOH exposure may vary according to the specific endpoint used to assess toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon L Oxendine
- Curriculum in Toxicology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States.
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