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Chronic exposures to low and high concentrations of ibuprofen elicit different gene response patterns in a euryhaline fish

  • Molecular and cellular effects of contamination in aquatic ecosystems
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Abstract

Ibuprofen is one of the most commonly detected pharmaceuticals in wastewater effluent; however, the effects of ibuprofen on aquatic organisms are poorly understood. This study presents the transcriptome-wide response of the inland silverside, Menidia beryllina, to chronic exposure to ibuprofen. At the lowest exposure concentration (0.0115 mg/L), we detected a downregulation of many genes involved in skeletal development, aerobic respiration, and immune function. At the highest exposure concentration (1.15 mg/L), we detected increased expression of regulatory genes in the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway and several immune genes involved in an inflammatory response. Additionally, there was differential expression of genes involved in oxidative stress responses and a downregulation of genes involved in osmoregulation. This study provides useful information for monitoring the effects of this common wastewater effluent contaminant in the environment and for the generation of biomarkers of exposure to ibuprofen that may be transferable to other fish species.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Linda Deanovic and Marie Stillway of the University of California Davis Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory for maintaining the fish and conducting the exposures, Jennifer Truong and Bethany DeCourten for assisting with the processing of the samples, and Will White and Simone Hasenbein for statistical support. This research was funded by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (contract #E1183010, to REC and SMB), and the State and Federal Contractors Water Agency (contract #201301957, to REC). A Delta Science Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Delta Stewardship Council provided funding for KMJ.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Ken M. Jeffries & Richard E. Connon

  2. Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Ken M. Jeffries & Nann A. Fangue

  3. Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, 601 South College Road, Wilmington, NC, 28403, USA

    Susanne M. Brander

  4. Bioinformatics Core Facility, Genome Center, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Monica T. Britton

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  1. Ken M. Jeffries
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Correspondence to Ken M. Jeffries.

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Responsible editor: Henner Hollert

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Jeffries, K.M., Brander, S.M., Britton, M.T. et al. Chronic exposures to low and high concentrations of ibuprofen elicit different gene response patterns in a euryhaline fish. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 17397–17413 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4227-y

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