Toxicity of Ochratoxin to Early Life Stages of Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Abstract

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a known contaminant in fish feed but its effect on fish health remains rather unknown. A study was conducted to investigate the effects of different concentrations of ochratoxin on early life stages of zebrafish (Danio rerio). The tests with ochratoxin A showed a correlation between the exposure to mycotoxin and the amount of damage. The mortality rate and the incidents of embryonal damage was increased by increasing ochratoxin concentrations. The calculations resulted in a lethal concentration for 50% of the embryos (LC50) of 0.29 mg/L and a concentration at which 50% of the animals showed impairment (EC50) of 0.36 mg/L after 96 h of exposure. During the test, reduced heart rates were also observed revealing a clear dose-response relationship. The EC50 determination for this endpoint was 1.26 mg/L after 72 h of exposure. The measurement of oxidative stress was proven to be the most sensitive system to indicate OTA effects on the zebrafish embryos with an EC50 value of 0.067 mg/L after 72 h of exposure. The test validity was given because the control test with 3,4-Dichloroaniline (3,4-D) showed a LC50 value of 2.88 mg after 96 h of exposure which is comparable to the available reference values. According to the current knowledge, these experimental doses did not exceed the environmental concentrations of this ochratoxin A. However, this study raises concerns about the effects of ochratoxin on fish.

Astaxanthin Protects Ochratoxin A-Induced Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in the Heart via the Nrf2 Pathway

“…Compared with the OTA group, the ASX+OTA group significantly improved the adverse status of mice. At the end of the test, OTA significantly reduced body weight and heart weight, decreased heart rate, increased QT and RR intervals, and caused abnormal ECG changes in mice, which was consistent with previous studies [11,12,25,26]. This study identified pathological changes in the heart by HE staining and ultrastructural changes in the heart by transmission electron microscopy.…”

Risk assessment for mycotoxin contamination in fish feeds in Europe

“…The bioavailability of OTA was found to be as low as 1.6% in fish (Hagelberg et al 1989), but a number of severe effects of OTA exposure can still be observed in different fish species. Embryotoxicity including severe deformities, reduced growth and hatching rates, and increased embryo mortality has been reported in zebrafish, which was assumed to be related to the increased production of oxidative stress (Tschirren et al 2018). Thus, developmental effects and impaired hatching of OTA-treated embryos showed a mean LOEL of 187 ± 80 and 327 ± 170 μg/L OTA (mean ± SEM, Fig.…”

“…Similarly, the OTA concentrations appear to be rather low in most of the fish feeds that were compiled for Fig. 4, but may reach high OTA levels under unfavourable storage conditions which may pose a risk to fish (Tschirren et al 2018). In addition, thermal stability of ENN in fish products has been investigated by Tolosa et al (2017) showing that food processing affects the presence on ENN in fish tissue variably.…”

Short-term effects of deoxynivalenol, T-2 toxin, fumonisin B1 or ochratoxin on lipid peroxidation and glutathione redox system and its regulatory genes in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) liver

“…The effect of FB 1 on the induction of oxidative stress and antioxidant defence mechanism is known (da Silva et al 2018 ), but this effect was not described previously in fish species. OTA promotes lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress (Sava et al 2006 ), as was found in zebrafish embryos (Tschirren et al 2018 ).…”