PUBLICATION
Exposure to difenoconazole induces reproductive toxicity in zebrafish by interfering with gamete maturation and reproductive behavior
- Authors
- Chen, X., Zheng, J., Zhang, J., Duan, M., Xu, H., Zhao, W., Yang, Y., Wang, C., Xu, Y.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-220505-9
- Date
- 2022
- Source
- The Science of the total environment 838(Pt 1): 155610 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Keywords
- Difenoconazole, Environmental concentrations, Gametogenesis, Reproductive behavior, Reproductive toxicity
- MeSH Terms
-
- Endocrine Disruptors*/toxicity
- Reproduction
- Female
- Male
- Water Pollutants, Chemical*/toxicity
- PubMed
- 35504380 Full text @ Sci. Total Environ.
Abstract
Difenoconazole (DCZ) is a triazole fungicide that negatively affects aquatic organisms and humans. However, data regarding the reproductive toxicity of DCZ are insufficient. In this study, we used zebrafish (from 2 h post-fertilization [hpf] to adulthood) as a model to evaluate whether DCZ at environmentally relevant concentrations (0.1, 1.0, and 10.0 μg/L) induces reproductive toxicity. After exposure to DCZ, egg production and fertilization rates were reduced by 1.0 and 10.0 μg/L. A significant decrease in gamete frequency (late vitellogenic oocytes and spermatozoa) was observed at 10.0 μg/L. The concentrations of 17β-estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), and vitellogenin (VTG) were disrupted in females and males by 1.0 and 10.0 μg/L. Exposure to 10.0 μg/L DCZ significantly inhibited the contact time between female and male fish, which was mainly achieved by affecting male fish. The transcription of genes involved in the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad (HPG) axis was significantly changed after treatment with DCZ. Overall, these data show that the endocrine-disrupting effect of DCZ on the zebrafish HPG axis inhibited gamete maturation and disrupted reproductive behavior, reducing fertility.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping