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Toxicity assessment and vitellogenin expression in zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) embryos and larvae acutely exposed to bisphenol A, endosulfan, heptachlor, methoxychlor and tetrabromobisphenol A
Author(s) -
Chow Wing Shan,
Chan Winson KaLun,
Chan King Ming
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of applied toxicology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.784
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1099-1263
pISSN - 0260-437X
DOI - 10.1002/jat.2723
Subject(s) - tetrabromobisphenol a , heptachlor , endosulfan , zebrafish , methoxychlor , polybrominated diphenyl ethers , environmental chemistry , toxicity , toxicology , danio , chemistry , pesticide , xenoestrogen , organophosphate , andrology , biology , pollutant , biochemistry , fire retardant , ecology , medicine , organochlorine pesticide , organic chemistry , gene , genetics , cancer , estrogen receptor , breast cancer
Organochlorine pesticides and brominated flame retardants, such as tetrabromobisphenol A and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, pose an environmental hazard owing to their persistence, low solubility and estrogenic effects, and concerns have been raised regarding their effects on aquatic biota. In the present study, zebrafish embryos and larvae were used as a model to investigate the sublethal and lethal effects of three different organochlorine pesticides, namely methoxychlor, endosulfan and heptachlor, as well as the flame retardant tetrabromobisphenol A, and its precursor compound bisphenol A. Preliminary data for chemical exposure tests were obtained by determining the 96 h median effective concentration EC 50 (hatching rate) and 96 h median lethal concentration LC 50 . Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to investigate the gene expression levels of the biomarker vitellogenin ( vtg1 ) after 96 h exposures to 10, 25, 50 and 75% of the 96 h EC 50 value for embryos and 96 h LC 50 value for larvae. The use of vtg1 mRNA induction in zebrafish embryos and larvae was found to be a sensitive biomarker of exposure to these organic compounds, and was helpful in elucidating their adverse effects and setting water quality guidelines. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.