Integrated mRNA- and miRNA-sequencing analyses unveil the underlying mechanism of tobacco pollutant-induced developmental toxicity in zebrafish embryos

Abstract

Tobacco pollutants are prevalent in the environment, leading to inadvertent exposure of pregnant females. Although there are studies examining the toxic effects of these pollutants on the development, they are not yet able to fully elucidate the potential underlying mechanisms. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the developmental toxicity induced by cigarette smoke extract (CSE) at concentrations of 0.25%, 1%, and 2.5% using a zebrafish embryo toxicity test and integrated transcriptomic analysis of microRNA (miRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA). The findings revealed that CSE caused developmental toxicity, including increased mortality and decreased incubation rate, in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, CSE induced malformations and apoptosis, specifically in the head and heart of zebrafish larvae. mRNA- and miRNA-sequencing analyses were used to compare changes in the expression of genes and miRNAs in zebrafish larvae. The results of bioinformatics analysis indicate that the mechanism underlying CSE-induced developmental toxicity was associated with genetic material damage, apoptosis disorder, as well as lipid metabolism disturbance. Morever, the enrichment analysis and RT-qPCR analysis results shown ctsba gene play crucial function in embryo developmental apoptosis, whereas fads2 gene mainly regulated lipid metabolic toxicity. The results of this study improve the current understanding of CSE-induced developmental toxicity in zebrafish embryos and contribute insights for the formulation of novel preventive strategies against tobacco pollutants during early embryonic development.