In the present study, developmental and reproductive effects of lifelong exposure to environmental relevant concentrations of two natural mixtures of persistent organic pollutants (POP) were investigated using classical and molecular methods in a controlled zebrafish model. The mixtures used were extracted from burbot (Lota lota) liver originating from freshwater systems in Norway: one mixture with high levels and one mixture with background levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane metabolites (DDT). The concentration of POP measured in the zebrafish ranged from levels detected in wild fish from Lake Mjøsa to concentrations reported in human and wildlife populations, indicating that the experimental fish were exposed to concentrations comparable with wild fish. Phenotypic effects observed in both exposure groups included earlier onset of puberty, increased male/female sex ratio, and differences in body weight at 5 mo of age. Interestingly, genome-wide transcription profiling showed changes in regulation of genes involved in endocrine signaling and growth. The transcriptomics changes include key regulator genes for steroid hormone functions (ncoa3), and growth (c/ebp, ncoa3). The effects observed in the experimental zebrafish model raise the question whether chemical pollution represents a risk to reproductive health of wild fish inhabitating the freshwater system.

Persistent organic pollutants (POP) occur as mixtures in nature and it is difficult to predict the toxicity of such mixtures based on knowledge about toxicity and mechanisms of action for single compounds. The present knowledge on the combined toxic effects and modes of actions of exposure to mixtures is limited. Thus, the scientifically based hazard and risk assessment of POP requires analytical and toxicological data from studies with environmental mixtures of POP. The application of genome wide transcription profiling in toxicology, in combination with classical endpoints, will improve the current understanding of the mechanisms of toxic processes. Furthermore, gene expression data may be useful in establishing new hypothesis and discovering new biomarkers for known toxicity as well as not yet recognized toxicity endpoints. In the present study, developmental and reproductive effects of lifelong exposure to environmental relevant concentrations of two natural mixtures of POP were investigated using classical and molecular methods in a controlled zebrafish model. The mixtures used were extracted from burbot (Lota lota) liver originating from freshwater systems in Norway: one mixture with high levels and one mixture with background levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBD), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and DDT. The concentration of POP in the zebrafish ranged from levels detected in wild fish from Lake Mjøsa, to concentrations reported in human and wildlife populations. Phenotypic effects observed in both exposure groups included (1) reduced survival, (2) earlier onset of puberty, (3) increased male/female sex ratio, and (4) differences in body weight at 5 mo of age. Interestingly, genome-wide transcription profiling showed changes in regulation of genes involved in endocrine signaling and growth. The transcriptomics changes included (1) key regulator genes for steroid and thyroid hormone functions (cga, ncoa3), (2) insulin signaling and metabolic homeostasis (pik3r1, pfkfb3, ptb1), and (3) p53 activation (mdm4). The effects observed in the experimental zebrafish model raise the question of whether chemical pollution represents a risk to the reproductive health of wild fish inhabiting the freshwater system.