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The enzyme toxicity and genotoxicity of chlorpyrifos and its toxic metabolite TCP to zebrafish Danio rerio

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Abstract

Chlorpyrifos is a broad-spectrum organophosphorus insecticide (O,O-diethyl -O-3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl phosphorothioate) that is used in numerous agricultural and urban pest controls. The primary metabolite of chlorpyrifos is 3,5,6-trichloro pyridine-2-phenol (TCP). Because of its strong water solubility and mobility, this harmful metabolite exists in the environment in a large amount. Although TCP has potentially harmful effects on organisms in the environment, few studies have addressed TCP pollution. Therefore, this study was undertaken to investigate the effect of chlorpyrifos and TCP on the microsomal cytochrome P450 content in the liver, on the activity of NADPH-P450 reductase and antioxidative enzymes [catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)], and on reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and DNA damage in zebrafish. Male and female zebrafish were separated and exposed to a control solution and three concentrations of chlorpyrifos (0.01, 0.1, 1 mg L−1) and TCP (0.01, 0.1, 0.5 mg L−1), respectively, sampled after 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 days. The results indicated that the P450 content and the NADPH-P450 reductase and antioxidative enzyme (CAT and SOD) activities could be induced by chlorpyrifos and TCP. DNA damage of zebrafish was enhanced with increasing chlorpyrifos and TCP concentrations. Meanwhile, chlorpyrifos and TCP induced a significant increase of ROS generation in the zebrafish hepatopancreas. In conclusion, this study proved that chlorpyrifos (0.01–1 mg L−1) and TCP (0.01–0.5 mg L−1) are both highly toxic to zebrafish.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation of China (No. 41071164, 21277083, 21377075, and 41001152) and the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (20113702110007).

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in the University of Shandong, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agriculture University, 61 Daizong Road, Taian, 271018, China

    Jun Wang, Jinhua Wang, Lusheng Zhu, Hui Xie, Bo Shao & Xinxin Hou

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  1. Jun Wang
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  2. Jinhua Wang
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  3. Lusheng Zhu
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  4. Hui Xie
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Correspondence to Jinhua Wang or Lusheng Zhu.

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Wang, J., Wang, J., Zhu, L. et al. The enzyme toxicity and genotoxicity of chlorpyrifos and its toxic metabolite TCP to zebrafish Danio rerio . Ecotoxicology 23, 1858–1869 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-014-1321-8

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