Histopathological and Behavioral Impairments in Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Chronically Exposed to a Cocktail of Fipronil and Pyriproxyfen

Background: Lately, the high incidence of pesticide usage has attracted everyone’s interest due to the serious effects produced. Fipronil (FIP) is a phenylpyrazole compound that acts on the insect’s GABA neurotransmitter by inhibiting its activity. Moreover, the literature reports highlight its impl...

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Main Authors: Madalina Andreea Robea, Adriana Petrovici, Dorel Ureche, Mircea Nicoara, Alin Stelian Ciobica
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-09-01
Series:Life
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/9/1874
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author Madalina Andreea Robea
Adriana Petrovici
Dorel Ureche
Mircea Nicoara
Alin Stelian Ciobica
author_facet Madalina Andreea Robea
Adriana Petrovici
Dorel Ureche
Mircea Nicoara
Alin Stelian Ciobica
author_sort Madalina Andreea Robea
collection DOAJ
description Background: Lately, the high incidence of pesticide usage has attracted everyone’s interest due to the serious effects produced. Fipronil (FIP) is a phenylpyrazole compound that acts on the insect’s GABA neurotransmitter by inhibiting its activity. Moreover, the literature reports highlight its implication in neurodevelopmental abnormalities and oxidative stress production in different organisms. Similarly, pyriproxyfen (PYR) is known to affect insect activity by mimicking the natural hormones involved in the maturation of the young insects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of the mixture of these pesticides on the tissues and behavior of zebrafish. Methods: To assess the influence of this cocktail on zebrafish, three groups of animals were randomly selected and exposed to 0, 0.05, and 0.1 mg L<sup>−1</sup> FIP and PYR mixture for five days. The fish were evaluated daily by the T-maze tests for locomotor activity and the light–dark test and recordings lasted four min. The data were quantified using the EthoVision software. Results: Our results indicated significant changes in locomotor activity parameters that showed increased levels following exposure to the mixture of FIP and PYR. On the other hand, the mixture also triggered anxiety in the zebrafish, which spent more time in the light area than in the dark area. In addition, mixture-induced histological changes were observed in the form of numerous hemosiderin deposits found in various zebrafish tissues. Conclusions: The current findings indicate that the mixture of FIP and PYR can have considerable consequences on adult zebrafish and may promote or cause functional neurological changes in addition to histological ones.
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spelling doaj.art-536da5353cd04d649659a30c4c9c2afe2023-11-19T11:37:29ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292023-09-01139187410.3390/life13091874Histopathological and Behavioral Impairments in Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Chronically Exposed to a Cocktail of Fipronil and PyriproxyfenMadalina Andreea Robea0Adriana Petrovici1Dorel Ureche2Mircea Nicoara3Alin Stelian Ciobica4Doctoral School of Biology, Faculty of Biology, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Preclinics, University of Life Sciences, 700490 Iasi, RomaniaFaculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, Ecology and Environmental Protection, University “Vasile Alecsandri”, 600115 Bacau, RomaniaDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Biology, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Biology, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, RomaniaBackground: Lately, the high incidence of pesticide usage has attracted everyone’s interest due to the serious effects produced. Fipronil (FIP) is a phenylpyrazole compound that acts on the insect’s GABA neurotransmitter by inhibiting its activity. Moreover, the literature reports highlight its implication in neurodevelopmental abnormalities and oxidative stress production in different organisms. Similarly, pyriproxyfen (PYR) is known to affect insect activity by mimicking the natural hormones involved in the maturation of the young insects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of the mixture of these pesticides on the tissues and behavior of zebrafish. Methods: To assess the influence of this cocktail on zebrafish, three groups of animals were randomly selected and exposed to 0, 0.05, and 0.1 mg L<sup>−1</sup> FIP and PYR mixture for five days. The fish were evaluated daily by the T-maze tests for locomotor activity and the light–dark test and recordings lasted four min. The data were quantified using the EthoVision software. Results: Our results indicated significant changes in locomotor activity parameters that showed increased levels following exposure to the mixture of FIP and PYR. On the other hand, the mixture also triggered anxiety in the zebrafish, which spent more time in the light area than in the dark area. In addition, mixture-induced histological changes were observed in the form of numerous hemosiderin deposits found in various zebrafish tissues. Conclusions: The current findings indicate that the mixture of FIP and PYR can have considerable consequences on adult zebrafish and may promote or cause functional neurological changes in addition to histological ones.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/9/1874pesticidefipronilpyriproxyfenbehaviorhistopathological changeszebrafish
spellingShingle Madalina Andreea Robea
Adriana Petrovici
Dorel Ureche
Mircea Nicoara
Alin Stelian Ciobica
Histopathological and Behavioral Impairments in Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Chronically Exposed to a Cocktail of Fipronil and Pyriproxyfen
Life
pesticide
fipronil
pyriproxyfen
behavior
histopathological changes
zebrafish
title Histopathological and Behavioral Impairments in Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Chronically Exposed to a Cocktail of Fipronil and Pyriproxyfen
title_full Histopathological and Behavioral Impairments in Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Chronically Exposed to a Cocktail of Fipronil and Pyriproxyfen
title_fullStr Histopathological and Behavioral Impairments in Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Chronically Exposed to a Cocktail of Fipronil and Pyriproxyfen
title_full_unstemmed Histopathological and Behavioral Impairments in Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Chronically Exposed to a Cocktail of Fipronil and Pyriproxyfen
title_short Histopathological and Behavioral Impairments in Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Chronically Exposed to a Cocktail of Fipronil and Pyriproxyfen
title_sort histopathological and behavioral impairments in zebrafish i danio rerio i chronically exposed to a cocktail of fipronil and pyriproxyfen
topic pesticide
fipronil
pyriproxyfen
behavior
histopathological changes
zebrafish
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/9/1874
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