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Sublethal concentrations of triclosan elicited oxidative stress, DNA damage, and histological alterations in the liver and brain of adult zebrafish

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Abstract

Triclosan (TCS), an antimicrobial agent, has been a pollutant of increasing concern owing to its potential health risk on humans and aquatic animals. The present study seeks to test the hypothesis that TCS could alter the oxidative stress-related parameters in the brain and liver, as well as eliciting DNA damage in hepatocytes of adult zebrafish. On the basis of the 96 h LC50 (398.9 μg/L), adult zebrafish were separately exposed to 50, 100, and 150 μg/L TCS for 30 days. The brain and liver tissues from adult zebrafish were excised and assayed for a suite of antioxidant parameters and oxidative stress biomarkers including DNA damage in the liver. The induced effect by TCS on the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was also analyzed in the brain. Results showed a significant decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the brain and liver of adult zebrafish. Also, the contents of the glutathione system (GSH and GSSH), as well as the activity of the glutathione reductase (GR), assayed in the liver, were reduced while the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) were elevated in the liver. A comet assay revealed dose-dependent DNA damage in zebrafish hepatocytes. The 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), MDA, and carbonyl protein contents in brain tissues significantly increased. Moreover, the AChE in the zebrafish brain was induced. Apparently, no obvious histological changes in brain tissues of zebrafish were observed compared with those of the control whereas atrophy and necrosis of hepatocytes and increased hepatic plate gap were observed in zebrafish hepatocytes after TCS exposure. The obtained results highlight that sublethal concentrations of TCS may be deleterious to the liver and brain of adult zebrafish upon subchronic exposure.

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Funding

This work was supported financially by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants Nos. 21577051, 21876067).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environmental Health and Ecological Security, School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China

    Eric Gyimah, Xing Dong, Zhen Zhang & Hai Xu

  2. Jiangsu College of Water Treatment Technology and Material Collaborative Innovation Center, Suzhou, 215009, China

    Eric Gyimah, Xing Dong, Zhen Zhang & Hai Xu

  3. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China

    Wenhui Qiu

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  1. Eric Gyimah
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  2. Xing Dong
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  3. Wenhui Qiu
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  5. Hai Xu
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Correspondence to Hai Xu.

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Gyimah, E., Dong, X., Qiu, W. et al. Sublethal concentrations of triclosan elicited oxidative stress, DNA damage, and histological alterations in the liver and brain of adult zebrafish. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 17329–17338 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08232-2

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