Elevated concentrations of dietary
selenium (Se) cause abnormalities
and extirpation of fish inhabiting in Se-contaminated environments.
However, its effect on fish behavior and the underlying mechanisms
remain largely unknown. In this study, two-month-old zebrafish (Danio rerio) was fed seleno-l-methionine (Se-Met)
at environmentally relevant concentrations (i.e., control (2.61),
low (5.43), medium (12.16), and high (34.61) μg Se/g dry weight
(dw), respectively, corresponding to the C, L, M, and H treatments)
for 60 days. Targeted metabolomics, histopathological, and targeted
transcriptional endpoints were compared to behavioral metrics to evaluate
the effects of dietary exposure to Se-Met . The results showed that
the levels of total Se and malondialdehyde in fish brains were increased
in a dose-dependent pattern. Meanwhile, mitochondrial damages and
decreased activities of the mitochondria respiratory chain complexes
were observed in the neurons at the M and H treatments. In addition,
dietary Se-Met affected neurotransmitters, metabolites, and transcripts
of the genes associated with the dopamine, serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric
acid, acetylcholine, and histamine signaling pathways in zebrafish
brains at the H treatments. The total swimming distance and duration
in the Novel Arm were lowered in fish from the H treatment. This study
has demonstrated that dietary Se-Met affects the ultrastructure of
the zebrafish brain, neurotransmitters, and associated fish behaviors
and may help enhance adverse outcome pathways for neurotransmitter-behavior
key events in zebrafish.