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Gomes SDS, da Silva JF, Padilha RMO, de Vasconcelos JVA, de Negreiros Neto LG, Marrs JA, Cadena PG. Behavioral Effects of the Mixture and the Single Compounds Carbendazim, Fipronil, and Sulfentrazone on Zebrafish ( Danio rerio) Larvae. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1176. [PMID: 38927383 PMCID: PMC11200900 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12061176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Pesticides are often detected in freshwater, but their impact on the aquatic environment is commonly studied based on single compounds, underestimating the potential additive effects of these mixtures. Even at low concentrations, pesticides can negatively affect organisms, altering important behaviors that can have repercussions at the population level. This study used a multi-behavioral approach to evaluate the effects of zebrafish larvae exposure to carbendazim (C), fipronil (F), and sulfentrazone (S), individually and mixed. Five behavioral tests, thigmotaxis, touch sensitivity, optomotor response, bouncing ball test, and larval exploratory behavior, were performed to assess potential effects on anxiety, fear, and spatial and social interaction. Significant changes were observed in the performance of larvae exposed to all compounds and their mixtures. Among the single pesticides, exposure to S produced the most behavioral alterations, followed by F and C, respectively. A synergistic effect between the compounds was observed in the C + F group, which showed more behavioral effects than the groups exposed to pesticides individually. The use of behavioral tests to evaluate pesticide mixtures is important to standardize methods and associate behavioral changes with ecologically relevant events, thus creating a more realistic scenario for investigating the potential environmental impacts of these compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samara da Silva Gomes
- Department of Morphology and Animal Physiology, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Av. Dom Manoel de Medeiros s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife 52171-900, PE, Brazil; (S.d.S.G.); (J.F.d.S.); (R.M.O.P.)
| | - Jadson Freitas da Silva
- Department of Morphology and Animal Physiology, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Av. Dom Manoel de Medeiros s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife 52171-900, PE, Brazil; (S.d.S.G.); (J.F.d.S.); (R.M.O.P.)
| | - Renata Meireles Oliveira Padilha
- Department of Morphology and Animal Physiology, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Av. Dom Manoel de Medeiros s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife 52171-900, PE, Brazil; (S.d.S.G.); (J.F.d.S.); (R.M.O.P.)
| | - João Victor Alves de Vasconcelos
- Department of Physics, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Av. Dom Manoel de Medeiros s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife 52171-900, PE, Brazil; (J.V.A.d.V.); (L.G.d.N.N.)
| | - Luís Gomes de Negreiros Neto
- Department of Physics, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Av. Dom Manoel de Medeiros s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife 52171-900, PE, Brazil; (J.V.A.d.V.); (L.G.d.N.N.)
| | - James A. Marrs
- Department of Biology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, 723 West Michigan, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA;
| | - Pabyton Gonçalves Cadena
- Department of Morphology and Animal Physiology, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Av. Dom Manoel de Medeiros s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife 52171-900, PE, Brazil; (S.d.S.G.); (J.F.d.S.); (R.M.O.P.)
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Santacà M, Gatto E, Dadda M, Bruzzone M, Dal Maschio M, Bisazza A. Exploring the Importance of Environmental Complexity for Newly Hatched Zebrafish. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1031. [PMID: 38612270 PMCID: PMC11011065 DOI: 10.3390/ani14071031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The effects of an early impoverished social or physical environment on vertebrate neural development and cognition has been known for decades. While existing studies have focused on the long-term effects, measuring adult cognitive phenotypes, studies on the effects of environmental complexity on the early stages of development are lacking. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) hatchlings are assumed to have minimal interaction with their environment and are routinely reared in small, bare containers. To investigate the effects of being raised under such conditions on development of behaviour and cognition, hatchlings housed for 10 days in either an enriched or a standard environment underwent two cognitive tasks. The results were mixed. Subjects of the two treatments did not differ in performance when required to discriminate two areas. Conversely, we found a significant effect in a number discrimination task, with subjects from impoverished condition performing significantly worse. In both experiments, larvae reared in impoverished environment showed a reduced locomotor activity. Given the effects that enrichment appears to exert on larvae, a third experiment explored whether hatchlings exhibit a spontaneous preference for more complex environments. When offered a choice between a bare setting and one with objects of different shapes and colors, larvae spent over 70% of time in the enriched sector. Deepening these effects of an early impoverished environment on cognitive development is crucial for the welfare of captive zebrafish populations and for enhancing the quality and reliability of studies on larval zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Santacà
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (M.D.)
| | - Elia Gatto
- Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Science, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy;
- Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Marco Dadda
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (M.D.)
| | - Matteo Bruzzone
- Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy (M.D.M.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Marco Dal Maschio
- Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy (M.D.M.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Angelo Bisazza
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (M.D.)
- Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy (M.D.M.)
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Hodorovich DR, Fryer Harris T, Burton DF, Neese KM, Bieler RA, Chudasama V, Marsden KC. Effects of 4 Testing Arena Sizes and 11 Types of Embryo Media on Sensorimotor Behaviors in Wild-Type and chd7 Mutant Zebrafish Larvae. Zebrafish 2024; 21:1-14. [PMID: 38301171 PMCID: PMC10902501 DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2023.0052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The larval zebrafish is a highly versatile model across research disciplines, and the expanding use of behavioral analysis has contributed to many advances in neuropsychiatric, developmental, and toxicological studies, often through large-scale chemical and genetic screens. In the absence of standardized approaches to larval zebrafish behavior analysis, however, it is critical to understand the impact on behavior of experimental variables such as the size of testing arenas and the choice of embryo medium. Using a custom-built, modular high-throughput testing system, we examined the effects of 4 testing arena sizes and 11 types of embryo media on conserved sensorimotor behaviors in zebrafish larvae. Our data show that testing arena size impacts acoustic startle sensitivity and kinematics, as well as spontaneous locomotion and thigmotaxis, with fish tested in larger arenas displaying reduced startle sensitivity and increased locomotion. We also find that embryo media can dramatically affect startle sensitivity, kinematics, habituation, and prepulse inhibition, as well as spontaneous swimming, turning, and overall activity. Common medium components such as methylene blue and high calcium concentration consistently reduced startle sensitivity and locomotion. To further address how the choice of embryo medium can impact phenotype expression in zebrafish models of disease, we reared chd7 mutant larvae, a model of CHARGE syndrome with previously characterized morphological and behavioral phenotypes, in five different types of media and observed impacts on all phenotypes. By defining the effects of these key extrinsic factors on larval zebrafish behavior, these data can help researchers select the most appropriate conditions for their specific research questions, particularly for genetic and chemical screens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana R Hodorovich
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Tiara Fryer Harris
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Derek F Burton
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Katie M Neese
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Rachael A Bieler
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Vimal Chudasama
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kurt C Marsden
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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Hodorovich DR, Fryer Harris T, Burton D, Neese K, Bieler R, Chudasama V, Marsden KC. Effects of 4 testing arena sizes and 11 types of embryo media on sensorimotor behaviors in wild-type and chd7 mutant zebrafish larvae: Media and arena size impact zebrafish behavior. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.31.551330. [PMID: 37577457 PMCID: PMC10418063 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.31.551330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
The larval zebrafish is a highly versatile model across research disciplines, and the expanding use of behavioral analysis has contributed to many advances in neuro-psychiatric, developmental, and toxicological studies, often through large-scale chemical and genetic screens. In the absence of standardized approaches to larval zebrafish behavior analysis, however, it is critical to understand the impact on behavior of experimental variables such as the size of testing arenas and the choice of embryo medium. Using a custom-built, modular high-throughput testing system, we examined the effects of 4 testing arena sizes and 11 types of embryo media on conserved sensorimotor behaviors in zebrafish larvae. Our data show that testing arena size impacts acoustic startle sensitivity and kinematics as well as spontaneous locomotion and thigmotaxis, with fish tested in larger arenas displaying reduced startle sensitivity and increased locomotion. We also find that embryo media can dramatically affect startle sensitivity, kinematics, habituation, and pre-pulse inhibition, as well as spontaneous swimming, turning, and overall activity. Common media components such as methylene blue and high calcium concentration consistently reduced startle sensitivity and locomotion. To further address how the choice of embryo medium can impact phenotype expression in zebrafish models of disease, we reared chd7 mutant larvae, a model of CHARGE syndrome with previously characterized morphological and behavioral phenotypes, in 5 different types of media and observed impacts on all phenotypes. By defining the effects of these key extrinsic factors on larval zebrafish behavior, these data can help researchers select the most appropriate conditions for their specific research questions, particularly for genetic and chemical screens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana R. Hodorovich
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, United States of America
- Current Address: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Tiara Fryer Harris
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Derek Burton
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, United States of America
- Current Address: Biogen, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Katie Neese
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Rachael Bieler
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Vimal Chudasama
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Kurt. C Marsden
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, United States of America
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