Dataset Information

Morphological and Functional Alterations Induced by Two Ecologically Relevant Concentrations of Lead on Danio rerio Gills.

ABSTRACT: Lead (Pb), due to its high toxicity and bioaccumulation tendency, is one of the top three pollutants of concern for both humans and wildlife and occupies second place in the Priority List of Hazardous Substances. In freshwater fish, Pb is mainly absorbed through the gills, where the greatest accumulation occurs. Despite the crucial role of gills in several physiological functions such as gas exchange, water balance, and osmoregulation, no studies evaluated the effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of Pb on this organ, and existing literature only refers to high levels of exposure. Herein we investigated for the first time the molecular and morphological effects induced by two low and environmentally relevant concentrations of Pb (2.5 and 5 μg/L) on the gills of Danio rerio, a model species with a high translational value for human toxicity. It was demonstrated that Pb administration at even low doses induces osmoregulatory dysfunctions by affecting Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase and AQP3 expression. It was also shown that Pb upregulates MTs as a protective response to prevent cell damage. Modulation of SOD confirms that the production of reactive oxygen species is an important toxicity mechanism of Pb. Histological and morphometric analysis revealed conspicuous pathological changes, both dose- and time-dependent.

SUBMITTER: Curcio V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9409012 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Morphological and Functional Alterations Induced by Two Ecologically Relevant Concentrations of Lead on <i>Danio rerio</i> Gills.

Curcio Vittoria V Macirella Rachele R Sesti Settimio S Ahmed Abdalmoiz I M AIM Talarico Federica F Tagarelli Antonio A Mezzasalma Marcello M Brunelli Elvira E

International journal of molecular sciences 20220815 16

Lead (Pb), due to its high toxicity and bioaccumulation tendency, is one of the top three pollutants of concern for both humans and wildlife and occupies second place in the Priority List of Hazardous Substances. In freshwater fish, Pb is mainly absorbed through the gills, where the greatest accumulation occurs. Despite the crucial role of gills in several physiological functions such as gas exchange, water balance, and osmoregulation, no studies evaluated the effects of environmentally relevant ...[more]

PMID: 36012426

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Project description:Populations of plants and animals, including humans, living in close proximity to abandoned uranium mine sites are vulnerable to uranium exposure through drainage into nearby waterways, soil accumulation, and blowing dust from surface soils. Little is known about how the environmental impact of uranium exposure alters the health of human populations in proximity to mine sites, so we used developmental zebrafish (Danio rerio) to investigate uranium toxicity. Fish are a sensitive target for modeling uranium toxicity, and previous studies report altered reproductive capacity, enhanced DNA damage, and gene expression changes in fish exposed to uranium. In our study, dechorionated zebrafish embryos were exposed to a concentration range of uranyl acetate (UA) from 0 to 3000 μg/L for body burden measurements and developmental toxicity assessments. Uranium was taken up in a concentration-dependent manner by 48 and 120 h post fertilization (hpf)-zebrafish without evidence of bioaccumulation. Exposure to UA was not associated with teratogenic outcomes or 24 hpf behavioral effects, but larvae at 120 hpf exhibited a significant hypoactive photomotor response associated with exposure to 3 μg/L UA which suggested potential neurotoxicity. To our knowledge, this is the first time that uranium has been associated with behavioral effects in an aquatic organism. These results were compared to potential metal co-contaminants using the same exposure paradigm. Similar to uranium exposure, lead, cadmium, and iron significantly altered neurobehavioral outcomes in 120-hpf zebrafish without inducing significant teratogenicity. Our study informs concerns about the potential impacts of developmental exposure to uranium on childhood neurobehavioral outcomes. This work also sets the stage for future, environmentally relevant metal mixture studies. Summary Uranium exposure to developing zebrafish causes hypoactive larval swimming behavior similar to the effect of other commonly occurring metals in uranium mine sites. This is the first time that uranium exposure has been associated with altered neurobehavioral effects in any aquatic organism.

Dataset Information

Morphological and Functional Alterations Induced by Two Ecologically Relevant Concentrations of Lead on Danio rerio Gills.

Publications

Morphological and Functional Alterations Induced by Two Ecologically Relevant Concentrations of Lead on <i>Danio rerio</i> Gills.

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