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Acute toxicity and sublethal effects of gallic and pelargonic acids on the zebrafish Danio rerio

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Abstract

Gallic and pelargonic acids are naturally found in a variety of plants and food products. Despite their extensive use in man-made applications, little is known regarding their potential risks to aquatic vertebrates. The aim of this work was to assess the acute toxicity of these polyphenolic and fatty acid compounds to the zebrafish. In order to get insights into sublethal effects, the enzyme activity of usual biomarkers related to oxidative stress and biotransformation were also assessed in fish. These latter included total superoxide dismutase, catalase as well as total glutathione peroxidase for antioxidant defence mechanisms and glutathione S-transferase for biotransformation related enzyme. Gallic acid was practically non-toxic (96-h lethal concentration (LC50) > 100 mg/L) whereas pelargonic acid was slightly toxic (96-h LC50 of 81.2 mg/L). Moreover, biomarker analyses indicated enhanced superoxide dismutase activity in fish exposed to 20, 40 and 100 mg/L of gallic acid compared to control. A dose-dependent induction of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase was reported following gallic acid exposure at the tested concentrations of 10, 20 and 40 mg/L, with the exception of 100 mg/L of substance where basal activity levels were reported. In the case of pelargonic acid, there was no change in antioxidant enzyme activity while an inhibition of glutathione S-transferase was observed from organisms exposed to 45, 58 and 76 mg/L of test solution. The results concerning sublethal effects on biological parameters of zebrafish highlighted thereby the need for further investigations following chronic exposure to both organic acids.

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Abbreviations

CAT:

catalase

CNDB:

1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene

EDTA:

ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

GPx:

glutathione peroxidase

GST:

glutathione transferase

OECD:

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

MMWD:

Marin Municipal Water District

NADPH:

nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (reduced)

SOD:

superoxide dismutase

TOXNET:

TOXicology Data NETwork

US EPA:

United States Environmental Protection Agency

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Aline Personne for her technical assistance. This study was financially supported by Fond Européen de Développement Régional (FEDER), Région Lorraine and BioCapTech.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université de Lorraine, UR AFPA, USC INRA 340, Campus Victor Grignard, Boulevard des aiguillettes, 54506, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy Cedex, France

    Didier Techer, Sylvain Milla, Pascal Fontaine, Sandrine Viot & Marielle Thomas

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  1. Didier Techer
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  2. Sylvain Milla
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  3. Pascal Fontaine
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  4. Sandrine Viot
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  5. Marielle Thomas
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Correspondence to Didier Techer.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Techer, D., Milla, S., Fontaine, P. et al. Acute toxicity and sublethal effects of gallic and pelargonic acids on the zebrafish Danio rerio . Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 5020–5029 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4098-2

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