In this study, we evaluated the application of the diffusive
gradient
in the thin films (DGT) technique to predict the bioavailability of
methamphetamine (METH) and its metabolite, amphetamine (AMP), in zebrafish
(Danio rerio). We simultaneously exposed
zebrafish and DGT devices to water spiked with different concentrations
of METH. Subsequently, METH and its major metabolite, AMP, were quantified
in DGTs and in zebrafish in vivo, the latter of which
tended to bioaccumulate and biotransform METH to AMP. After a two-week
duration of METH exposure, concentrations were up to 4.49 ± 0.17,
6.42 ± 0.06, and 132 ± 0.48 ng/g wet weight for METH and
4.25 ± 0.62, 8.46 ± 0.58, and 419 ± 45.0 ng/g wet weight
for AMP in zebrafish when exposed to 0.01, 1.00, and 100.00 μg/L
of METH solution, respectively. Although the in vivo bioaccumulation and biotransformation of METH in zebrafish are likely
complex, we found a strong positive correlation (R
2 = 0.97–1.00, p < 0.001) between
the mass of METH uptake by the DGT and the METH concentrations in vivo in zebrafish. Similarly, there was also a significant
correlation (R
2 = 0.95, p < 0.001) between the AMP concentration in zebrafish and the mass
of AMP uptake by the DGT at a METH exposure concentration of 1.00
μg/L. The correlation in the other two exposure concentrations
was not strong, probably due to the fact that AMP accumulated in fish
did not increase in a concentration-dependent manner. Taken together,
these findings suggest that the DGT may act as a useful tool for estimating
the bioavailability of METH and its metabolite, AMP, in aquatic organisms.