Toxic effects of the insecticide tolfenpyrad on zebrafish embryos: Cardiac toxicity and mitochondrial damage

Abstract

Tolfenpyrad, a highly effective and broad‐spectrum insecticide and acaricide extensively utilized in agriculture, presents a potential hazard to nontarget organisms. This study was designed to explore the toxic mechanisms of tolfenpyrad on zebrafish embryos. Between 24 and 96 h after exposure of the fertilized embryos to tolfenpyrad at concentrations ranging from 0.001 to 0.016 mg/L (96 h‐LC50 = 0.017 mg/L), lethal effects were apparent, accompanied with notable anomalies including pericardial edema, increased pericardial area, diminished heart rate, and an elongated distance between the venous sinus and the arterial bulb. Tolfenpyrad elicited noteworthy alterations in the expression of genes pertinent to cardiac development and apoptosis, with the most pronounced changes observed in the cardiac development‐related genes of bone morphogenetic protein 2b (bmp2b) and p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (puma). The findings underscore that tolfenpyrad induces severe cardiac toxicity and mitochondrial damage in zebrafish embryos. This data is imperative for a comprehensive assessment of tolfenpyrad risks to aquatic ecosystems, particularly considering the limited knowledge regarding its detrimental impact on aquatic vertebrates.