Impairment of reproduction of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) by binary mixtures of environmentally relevant concentrations of triclocarban and inorganic mercury

Pingping Wang; Zhongkun Du; Shixiang Gao; Xiaowei Zhang; J P Giesy

doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2016.08.026

Impairment of reproduction of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) by binary mixtures of environmentally relevant concentrations of triclocarban and inorganic mercury

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2016 Dec:134P1:124-132. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2016.08.026. Epub 2016 Sep 6.

Authors

Pingping Wang¹, Zhongkun Du¹, Shixiang Gao², Xiaowei Zhang³, J P Giesy⁴

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
² State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: ecsxg@nju.edu.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: zhangxw@nju.edu.cn.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China; Toxicology Centre and Department of veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3, Canada; Department of Zoology, and Center for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA; School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, People's Republic of China.

PMID: 27611220
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2016.08.026

Abstract

Effects of chemical mixtures at environmentally relevant concentrations on endocrine systems of aquatic organisms are of concern. Triclocarban (TCC) and inorganic mercury (Hg²⁺) are ubiquitous in aquatic environments, and are known to interfere with endocrine pathways via different mechanisms of toxic action. However, effects of mixtures of the two pollutants on aquatic organisms and associated molecular mechanisms were unknown. This study examined effects of binary mixtures of TCC and Hg²⁺ on histopathological and biochemical alteration of reproductive organs in zebrafish (Danio rerio) after 21 d exposure. The results showed that: 1) At concentrations studied, TCC alone caused little effect on hepatic tissues, but it aggravated lesions in liver caused by Hg²⁺ via indirect mechanisms of disturbing homeostasis and altering concentrations of hormones; 2) Histological lesions were more severe in gonads of individuals, especially males, exposed to the binary mixture. Exposure to TCC alone (2.5 or 5μg/L) (measured concentration 140 or 310ng/L) or Hg²⁺ alone (5μg/L or 10μg/L (measured concentration 367 or 557ng/L) slightly retarded development of oocytes, whereas co-exposure to nominal concentrations of 5μg/L TCC and 10μg /L Hg²⁺ promoted maturation of oocytes. In males, maturation of sperm was slightly delayed by exposure to either TCC or Hg²⁺, while their combinations caused testes to be smaller and sperm to be fewer compared with fish exposed to either of the contaminants individually; 3) Lesions observed in fish exposed to binary mixtures might be due to altered transcription of genes involved in steroidogenesis, such as cyp19a, 3beta-HSD, cyp17, 17beta-HSD and modulated concentrations of testosterone and estradiol in blood plasma. The observed results further support the complexity of toxic responses of fish exposed to lesser concentrations of binary chemical mixtures. Since it is impossible to collect empirical information in controlled studies of all possible combinations of toxicants, the application of omics methods might improve the predictive capabilities of results of single classes of chemicals.

Keywords: Antimicrobial; Endocrine disruptors; Genomics; Metal; Synergism.