Assessment of the lethal and sublethal effects of 20 environmental chemicals in zebrafish embryos and larvae by using OECD TG 212

Abstract

Fish embryo toxicity tests are used to assess the lethal and sublethal effects of environmental chemicals in aquatic organisms. Previously, we used a short-term toxicity test published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (test no. 212: Fish, Short-term Toxicity Test on Embryo and Sac-Fry Stages [OECD TG 212]) to assess the lethal and sublethal effects of aniline and several chlorinated anilines in zebrafish embryos and larvae. To expand upon this previous study, we used OECD TG 212 in zebrafish embryos and larvae to assess the lethal and sublethal effects of 20 additional environmental chemicals that included active pharmaceutical ingredients, pesticides, metals, aromatic compounds or chlorinated anilines. Zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio) were exposed to the test chemicals until 8 days post-fertilization. A delayed lethal effect was induced by 16 of the 20 test chemicals, and a positive correlation was found between heart rate turbulence and mortality. We also found that exposure to the test chemicals at concentrations lower than the lethal concentration induced the sublethal effects of edema, body curvature and absence of swim-bladder inflation. In conclusion, the environmental chemicals assessed in the present study induced both lethal and sublethal effects in zebrafish embryos and larvae, as assessed by using OECD TG 212. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reduced metabolic rate and increased heart beat as early signs of sub lethal Copper toxicity in developing Zebrafish

“…In agreement with previous studies (Cheng et al, 2000;Villeneuve et al, 2014;Horie et al, 2017), the results of the present work indicate that exposure of embryos to Cu led in embryonic and larval anatomical and functional defects. Pathological effects of Cu were present in all the experimental groups exposed to Cu, with skeletal malformations and pericardial edema as well as elevated heart rate.…”

“…In assessing the toxicity of Cu on developing zebrafish embryos, we used a range of different parameters. The copper-induced alterations of heartbeat rate observed in the present study are in agreement with previously published results for zebrafish embryos and larvae affected by toxic compounds, reporting that larvae exposed to Cu exhibited significantly increased heart rates compared to the control groups (D'amico et al, 2012;Mohammadbakir, 2016;Horie et al, 2017). The cellular mechanism of this may involve a stress response in the larvae (Barton, 2011), such as impaired aerobic metabolism with consequent effect on the cardiovascular system, resulting in an increased heart rate and, possibly, as the present results indicate, subsequent pericardial edema (Barrionuevo et al, 2010).…”

“…The results of the current study supports previous studies showing that exposure to Cu significantly decreased the survival of zebrafish embryos, particularly during the stages of gastrulation and segmentation (Johnson et al, 2007), with lethal and sub-lethal effects of environmental chemicals varying between the pre-hatch and post-hatch stages in zebrafish (Horie et al, 2017) and the concentration of the heavy metals (Ganesan et al, 2016).…”

The non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug diclofenac sodium induces abnormal embryogenesis and delayed lethal effects in early life stage zebrafish (Danio rerio)

“…In addition, it has been previously demonstrated that the embryonic and larval stages of zebrafish have different sensitivities to toxic chemicals (Horie, Yamagishi, Koshio, et al, ; Horie, Yamagishi, Takahashi, et al, ; Mu et al, ; Yang et al, ). Furthermore, we revealed that triclosan exposure also negatively affects with a particularly steep increase in mortality soon after hatching in O. latipes (Horie, Yamagishi, Takahashi, Shintaku, et al, ). Therefore, when evaluating acute or lethal toxicity of chemicals, it may be necessary to pay attention to the developmental stage of the test fish.…”

Effects of triclosan on Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) during embryo development, early life stage and reproduction

“…Recently, toxicity testing using fish embryos has been recommended as a more humane form of animal testing (EU, ). However, we previously demonstrated that the embryonic and larval stages of zebrafish have different sensitivities to toxic chemicals (Horie, Yamagishi, Koshio, Iguchi, & Tatarazako, ; Horie, Yamagishi, Takahashi, et al, ), possibly because the chorion blocks the transport of certain chemical compounds (Kim & Tanguay, ; Olivares, Field, Simonich, Tanguay, & Sierra‐Alvarez, ). The results of the present study suggest that triclosan exposure negatively affects both the embryonic and the early larval stage in Japanese medaka, with a particularly steep increase in mortality soon after hatching, which is consistent with previous reports of delayed mortality in zebrafish exposed to the dioxin‐like pollutant PCB‐126 (3,3′,4,4′,5‐pentachlorobiphenyl) (Di Paolo et al, ) or to chlorinated anilines (Horie, Yamagishi, Koshio, et al, ).…”