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Early life Exposure of Zebrafish to the Neonicotinoid Insecticide, Imidacloprid
Citation:
Fetke, J., J. Crago, W. Huang, Mary Jean See, M. Hu, J. Martinson, A. Willis, S. Subbiah, D. Bencic, R. Flick, AND A. Biales. Early life Exposure of Zebrafish to the Neonicotinoid Insecticide, Imidacloprid. SETAC, Pittsburgh, PA, November 13 - 17, 2022. https://doi.org/10.23645/epacomptox.21453606
Impact/Purpose:
The study investigates the impact of a pesticide, imidacloprid, on an early life stage in zebrafish and evaluates how non-target organisms may be affected by chemical contaminants.
Description:
Neonicotinoid insecticides are some of the fastest growing and most commonly used pesticides globally. Imidacloprid (IMI), a primary neonicotinoid, has become a ubiquitous contaminant in surface waters near agricultural areas. IMI is effective in the prevention of insect infestation of crops but also poses potential adverse effects for non-target organisms, including invertebrate pollinators and aquatic vertebrates such as fish. A limited number of studies suggest oxidative stress and DNA damage may be associated with IMI exposure to fish. However, large-scale transcriptional or epigenetic analyses that could facilitate a better understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying these potentially toxic effects are lacking. In the current study we examine the effects of IMI during a critical developmental stage in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) model. Zebrafish larvae (n = 9-12 per group) were exposed from 4 hours post fertilization (hpf) through 5 days post fertilization (dpf) to an environmentally relevant dose of 100 ng/L (IMI-Low) and a higher dose of 1 mg/L (IMI-High) of IMI, a water-only control, and nicotine. Circadian rhythm behavioral tests, neurotransmitter measurements, DNA methylation and transcriptional changes were quantified to evaluate the risk IMI posed to developing zebrafish. Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing (RRBS) identified 73 and 36 differentially methylated regions in genes for the low and high dose of IMI, respectively. RNAseq analysis identified 75 significantly expressed genes at the low IMI dose and 65 at the high IMI dose. Acetylcholine, GABA, L-Glutamine, and L-Glutamic acid levels were all significantly lower at IMI-High compared to control. Evidence for circadian rhythm dysregulation was found for larvae exposed to IMI-High. Results from this study suggests potential for IMI exposures to induce effects in aquatic invertebrates that include cell development perturbation, circadian rhythm disruption, and may be associated with neurological and cancer-promoting diseases.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Early life Exposure of Zebrafish to the Neonicotinoid Insecticide, Imidacloprid
FETKE_JANINE_SETAC_2022_EDITED.PDF (PDF, NA pp, 950.9 KB, about PDF)