The effects of aliphatic alcohols and related acid metabolites in zebrafish embryos - correlations with rat developmental toxicity and with effects in advanced life stages in fish

Identification of proteome markers for drug-induced liver injury in zebrafish embryos

The zebrafish embryo (ZFE) is a promising alternative non-rodent model in toxicology, and initial studies suggested its applicability in detecting hepatic responses related to drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Here, we hypothesize that detailed analysis of underlying mechanisms of hepatotoxicity in ZFE contributes to the improved identification of hepatotoxic properties of compounds and to the reduction of rodents used for hepatotoxicity assessment. ZFEs were exposed to nine reference hepatotoxicants, targeted at induction of steatosis, cholestasis, and necrosis, and effects compared with negative controls. Protein profiles of the individual compounds were generated using LC-MS/MS. We identified differentially expressed proteins and pathways, but as these showed considerable overlap, phenotype-specific responses could not be distinguished. This led us to identify a set of common hepatotoxicity marker proteins. At the pathway level, these were mainly associated with cellular adaptive stress-responses, whereas single proteins could be linked to common hepatotoxicity-associated processes. Applying several stringency criteria to our proteomics data as well as information from other data sources resulted in a set of potential robust protein markers, notably Igf2bp1, Cox5ba, Ahnak, Itih3b.2, Psma6b, Srsf3a, Ces2b, Ces2a, Tdo2b, and Anxa1c, for the detection of adverse responses.

Phenotypic and Gene Expression Profiles of Embryo Development of the Ascidian Ciona robusta Exposed to Dispersants

Within EU approval policies, most dispersant ecotoxicity testing considers lethal concentrations for marine adult species, overlooking the embryotoxicological effects. Here we studied the ecotoxicity of two commercial dispersant formulations (dispersant A and B) on the embryogenesis of the ascidian Ciona robusta. Embryotoxicity and phenotypic alterations stated that dispersant B resulted more toxic than A (EC50 value of 44.30 and 160 μg mL−1, respectively) and induced severe larvae malformations at lower concentrations. Furthermore, the analysis of genes involved in different cellular response pathways indicated that those belonging to biotransformation were upregulated by dispersant A treatment, likely related to the presence of hydrocarbons. Instead, dispersant B induced cas8 gene downregulation, probably as a result of the prolonged exposure to mixture components. Our preliminary findings support the use of the C. robusta embryotoxicity test as a valuable tool for dispersant approval procedures, by providing sub-lethal responses on marine invertebrates closely related to vertebrates.

Prospects of Plant-Based Trimethylolpropane Esters in the Biolubricant Formulation for Various Applications: A Review

Biodegradable lubricants from renewable feedstocks have been successfully developed to meet the demands of new machines with stringent requirements of the global standards, which address sustainability and environmental policy. Trimethylolpropane ester (TMPE) has been extensively evaluated as a biolubricant base stock and occasionally used as an additive, due to their low toxicity and excellent biodegradability. The formulation of high-performance TMPE-based lubricants involves addition of surface additives, multifunctional additives, and solid nano particles. This review focuses on the development of plant-based TMPE formulation for various applications, namely food-grade lubricant, engine oil, drilling fluid, insulating fluid, metal working fluid, hydraulic and heat transfer fluids. Even though plant-based TMPE lubricants have huge advantages over mineral oils, they have other challenging issues such as limited load-bearing capacity, hygroscopic properties, and high risk of toxic emission owing to additives selection. The details on the performance characteristics of TMPE as base stocks and additives are discussed, including the current prospects and challenges in the respective areas. This review concludes with a brief discussion on suggestions and recommendations for future advancement in the usage of TMPE and the remaining issues that must be overcome to allow for its full potential to be realized.