Abstract
The synthetic estrogen, 17-α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), present in contraceptive pills, is an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) that can be found in the aquatic environment. We examined the impacts of EE2 on zebrafish behavioral and physiological responses through the novel tank test (NTT), which measures anxiety-like behavior; the mirror-induced aggression (MIA) test, which measures aggressiveness; and the social preference test (SPT), which measures social cohesion. The steroid hormone levels were also measured. Here, we show that exposure to EE2 impairs stress responses by regulating the levels of specific hormones and eliciting an anxiolytic response, increasing aggression, and reducing social preference in zebrafish. In nature, these changes in behavior compromise reproduction and anti-predator behaviors, which, in turn, affects species survival. The maintenance of an intact behavioral repertoire in zebrafish is essential for their survival. Thus, our results point to the danger of environmental contamination with EE2 as it may alter the dynamics of the prey–predator relationship.
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Funding
This study was supported by CNPq, FAPERGS, CAPES, the Federal University of Fronteira Sul, and the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Sul. LJGB is supported by grants from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS) (Grant Nos. 18/2551-0000-493-6 and 19/2551-0001-873-8) and by a research fellowship from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) (303263/2018-0).
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Fenske, L., Concato, A.C., Vanin, A.P. et al. 17-α-Ethinylestradiol modulates endocrine and behavioral responses to stress in zebrafish. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 29341–29351 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09318-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09318-7