Evaluation and Mechanistic Study of Transgenerational Neurotoxicity in Zebrafish upon Life Cycle Exposure to Decabromodiphenyl Ethane (DBDPE)

Abstract

The novel brominated flame retardant decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) has become a ubiquitous emerging pollutant in the environment, which may evoke imperceptible effects in humans or wild animals. Hence in this study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to DBDPE (0, 0.1, 1, and 10 nM) until sexual maturity (F0), and F1 and F2 generations were cultured without further exposure to study the multi-and transgenerational toxicity and underlying mechanism. The growth showed sexdifferent changing profiles across three generations, and the social behavior confirmed transgenerational neurotoxicity in adult zebrafish upon life cycle exposure to DBDPE. Furthermore, maternal transfer of DBDPE was not detected, whereas parental transfer of neurotransmitters to zygotes was specifically disturbed in F1 and F2 offspring. A lack of changes in the F1 generation and opposite changing trends in the F0 and F2 generations were observed in a series of indicators for DNA damage, DNA methylation, and gene transcription. Taken together, life cycle exposure to DBDPE at environmentally relevant concentrations could induce transgenerational neurotoxicity in zebrafish. Our findings also highlighted potential impacts on wild gregarious fish, which would face higher risks from predators.

Insights into Triclosan-Induced Endocrine Disruption: Evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and Zebrafish Models

“…Notably, in terms of neurotoxicity, several environmental contaminants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls and bisphenol A, have been found to exert greater toxicity in males than females. These sex-specific effects are presumed to be attributed to the inherent substantial differences in sex hormonal levels and detoxifying capacities between males and females . Previous studies have demonstrated that diazinon exposure had a more pronounced effect on perturbing the gut microbiome in male mice, thereby inducing more severe neurotoxicity .…”

“…Adult zebrafish exposed for 21 days were tested between the morning and afternoon period (10:00 to 16:00). The shoaling behavior assay was conducted with three fish (forming one shoal) in each test tank (10.4 cm height ×23 cm length ×10.4 cm width), following established protocols . After a 5 min adaptation period, we recorded 10 min of video using the Video-Track system (View Point Life Sciences, Inc., Lyon, France).…”