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The effects of triclosan on pluripotency factors and development of mouse embryonic stem cells and zebrafish

  • Reproductive Toxicology
  • Published:
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Abstract

Triclosan (TCS) poses potential risks to reproduction and development due to its endocrine-disrupting properties. However, the mechanism of TCS’s effects on early embryonic development is little known. Embryonic stem cells (ESC) and zebrafish embryos provide valuable models for testing the toxic effects of environmental chemicals on early embryogenesis. In this study, mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC) were acutely exposed to TCS for 24 h, and general cytotoxicity and the effect of TCS on pluripotency were then evaluated. In addition, zebrafish embryos were exposed to TCS from 2- to 24-h post-fertilization (hpf), and their morphology was evaluated. In mESC, alkaline phosphatase staining was significantly decreased after treatment with the highest concentration of TCS (50 μM). Although the expression levels of Sox2 mRNA were not changed, the mRNA levels of Oct4 and Nanog in TCS-treated groups were significantly decreased compared to controls. In addition, the protein levels of Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog were significantly reduced in response to TCS treatment. MicroRNA (miR)-134, an expression inhibitor of pluripotency markers, was significantly increased in TCS-treated mESC. In zebrafish experiments, after 24 hpf of treatment, the controls had developed to the late stage of somitogenesis, while embryos exposed to 300 μg/L of TCS were still at the early stage of somitogenesis, and three genes (Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog) were upregulated in treated groups when compared with the controls. The two models demonstrated that TCS may affect early embryonic development by disturbing the expression of the pluripotency markers (Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog).

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Abbreviations

TCS:

Triclosan

mESC:

Mouse embryonic stem cells

hpf:

Hour post-fertilization

MTT:

3-(4,5)-Dimethylthiahiazo(-z-y1)-3,5-di-phenytetrazoliumromide

AP:

Alkaline phosphatase

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by National 973 Program(2012CBA01306); National Science Fund for Outstanding Young Scholars(81322039); National Natural Science Foundation(31371524); Distinguished Young Scholars of Jiangsu Province(BK20130041); New Century Excellent Talents of MOE (NCET-13-0870); Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest with the study or preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China

    Xiaojiao Chen, Xinru Wang & Yankai Xia

  2. Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China

    Xiaojiao Chen, Bo Xu, Xiumei Han, Zhilei Mao, Minjian Chen, Guizhen Du, Xinru Wang & Yankai Xia

  3. UCR Stem Cell Center and Core Facility, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    Prue Talbot

  4. State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Institute of Toxicology, Nanjing Medical University, 818 East Tianyuan Road, Nanjing, 211166, China

    Yankai Xia

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  1. Xiaojiao Chen
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  2. Bo Xu
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Correspondence to Yankai Xia.

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Xiaojiao Chen, Bo Xu and Xiumei Han have contributed equally.

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Chen, X., Xu, B., Han, X. et al. The effects of triclosan on pluripotency factors and development of mouse embryonic stem cells and zebrafish. Arch Toxicol 89, 635–646 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-014-1270-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-014-1270-2

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