Developmental Neurotoxicity of Difenoconazole in Zebrafish Embryos

Difenoconazole is a type of triazole fungicide that is widely used in the treatment of plant diseases. Triazole fungicides have been shown in several studies to impair the development of the nervous system in zebrafish embryos. There is still little known about difenoconazole-induced neurotoxicity i...

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Main Authors: Qing Yang, Ping Deng, Dan Xing, Haoling Liu, Fang Shi, Lian Hu, Xi Zou, Hongyan Nie, Junli Zuo, Zimeng Zhuang, Meiqi Pan, Juan Chen, Guangyu Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-04-01
Series:Toxics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/11/4/353
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author Qing Yang
Ping Deng
Dan Xing
Haoling Liu
Fang Shi
Lian Hu
Xi Zou
Hongyan Nie
Junli Zuo
Zimeng Zhuang
Meiqi Pan
Juan Chen
Guangyu Li
author_facet Qing Yang
Ping Deng
Dan Xing
Haoling Liu
Fang Shi
Lian Hu
Xi Zou
Hongyan Nie
Junli Zuo
Zimeng Zhuang
Meiqi Pan
Juan Chen
Guangyu Li
author_sort Qing Yang
collection DOAJ
description Difenoconazole is a type of triazole fungicide that is widely used in the treatment of plant diseases. Triazole fungicides have been shown in several studies to impair the development of the nervous system in zebrafish embryos. There is still little known about difenoconazole-induced neurotoxicity in fish. In this study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/L of difenoconazole solution until 120 h post-fertilization (hpf). The difenoconazole-exposed groups showed concentration-dependent inhibitory tendencies in heart rate and body length. Malformation rate and spontaneous movement of zebrafish embryos increased, and the locomotor activity decreased in the highest exposure group. The content of dopamine and acetylcholine was reduced significantly in difenoconazole treatment groups. The activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was also increased after treatment with difenoconazole. Furthermore, the expression of genes involved in neurodevelopment was remarkably altered, which corresponded with the alterations of neurotransmitter content and AChE activity. These results indicated that difenoconazole might affect the development of the nervous system through influencing neurotransmitter levels, enzyme activity, and the expression of neural-related genes, ultimately leading to abnormal locomotor activity in the early stages of zebrafish.
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spelling doaj.art-ce698b40a39649dbab057bbe38714e252023-11-17T21:37:41ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042023-04-0111435310.3390/toxics11040353Developmental Neurotoxicity of Difenoconazole in Zebrafish EmbryosQing Yang0Ping Deng1Dan Xing2Haoling Liu3Fang Shi4Lian Hu5Xi Zou6Hongyan Nie7Junli Zuo8Zimeng Zhuang9Meiqi Pan10Juan Chen11Guangyu Li12Institute of Hydroecology, Ministry of Water Resources & Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430079, ChinaWuhan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430072, ChinaDadu River Hydropower Development Co., Ltd., Chengdu 610016, ChinaCollege of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaInstitute of Hydroecology, Ministry of Water Resources & Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430079, ChinaInstitute of Hydroecology, Ministry of Water Resources & Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430079, ChinaInstitute of Hydroecology, Ministry of Water Resources & Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430079, ChinaCollege of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaCollege of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaCollege of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaCollege of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaCollege of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaCollege of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaDifenoconazole is a type of triazole fungicide that is widely used in the treatment of plant diseases. Triazole fungicides have been shown in several studies to impair the development of the nervous system in zebrafish embryos. There is still little known about difenoconazole-induced neurotoxicity in fish. In this study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/L of difenoconazole solution until 120 h post-fertilization (hpf). The difenoconazole-exposed groups showed concentration-dependent inhibitory tendencies in heart rate and body length. Malformation rate and spontaneous movement of zebrafish embryos increased, and the locomotor activity decreased in the highest exposure group. The content of dopamine and acetylcholine was reduced significantly in difenoconazole treatment groups. The activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was also increased after treatment with difenoconazole. Furthermore, the expression of genes involved in neurodevelopment was remarkably altered, which corresponded with the alterations of neurotransmitter content and AChE activity. These results indicated that difenoconazole might affect the development of the nervous system through influencing neurotransmitter levels, enzyme activity, and the expression of neural-related genes, ultimately leading to abnormal locomotor activity in the early stages of zebrafish.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/11/4/353difenoconazolezebrafishdevelopmental neurotoxicityneurotransmitter contentAChE activity
spellingShingle Qing Yang
Ping Deng
Dan Xing
Haoling Liu
Fang Shi
Lian Hu
Xi Zou
Hongyan Nie
Junli Zuo
Zimeng Zhuang
Meiqi Pan
Juan Chen
Guangyu Li
Developmental Neurotoxicity of Difenoconazole in Zebrafish Embryos
Toxics
difenoconazole
zebrafish
developmental neurotoxicity
neurotransmitter content
AChE activity
title Developmental Neurotoxicity of Difenoconazole in Zebrafish Embryos
title_full Developmental Neurotoxicity of Difenoconazole in Zebrafish Embryos
title_fullStr Developmental Neurotoxicity of Difenoconazole in Zebrafish Embryos
title_full_unstemmed Developmental Neurotoxicity of Difenoconazole in Zebrafish Embryos
title_short Developmental Neurotoxicity of Difenoconazole in Zebrafish Embryos
title_sort developmental neurotoxicity of difenoconazole in zebrafish embryos
topic difenoconazole
zebrafish
developmental neurotoxicity
neurotransmitter content
AChE activity
url https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/11/4/353
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