Abstract:
Objective Mass production and utilization of bisphenol AP (BPAP) and bisphenol AF (BPAF) has posed potential ecological risk to aquatic ecosystem. However, few studies have focused on the neurotoxicities of BPAP and BPAF. This study investigates the developmental neurotoxicities of BPAP and BPAF in the early life of zebrafish.
Methods We selected zebrafish larvae as experimental subjects. Zebrafish embryos were randomly divided into five groups. BPAP (20 μg/L and 200 μg/L) and BPAF (20 μg/L and 200 μg/L) were administered with the designed drug exposure profile from 4 h to 144 h after fertilization. The early developmental neurotoxicities of BPAP and BPAF and their possible mechanisms were discussed by locomotion behavior test, in situ hybridization, and fluorescence quantitative PCR.
Results Compared with the control group, the total moving distance and the speed of the zebrafish larvae in the exposed groups were significantly decreased, and the thermo gram showed that the larvae in the exposed groups were sluggish, indicating that both BPAP and BPAF inhibited the moving distance and speed of zebrafish larvae. The results of fluorescence quantitative PCR showed that compared with the control group, BPAP (20 μg/L and 200 μg/L) and BPAF (20 μg/L and 200μg/L) significantly inhibited the expressions of key genes (mbp and syn2a) involved in zebrafish neurodevelopment. The results of in situ hybridization also verified the results of the genes.
Conclusion The findings tentatively suggest that BPAF and BPAP may have potential developmental neurotoxic effects on zebrafish.