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Developmental Toxicity Assessment of a Library of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Embryos/Larvae
Citation:
Britton, K., D. Korest, R. Judson, K. Jarema, K. Coutros, B. Wetmore, B. Hill, D. Hunter, J. Olin, AND S. Padilla. Developmental Toxicity Assessment of a Library of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Embryos/Larvae. Carolinas SETAC, This will be an online meeting, NC, May 22, 2020. https://doi.org/10.23645/epacomptox.12837722
Impact/Purpose:
Currently, there are 1223 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances chemicals included in the Toxic Substances Control Act inventory. There is a need to understand the structure/activity of these chemicals. To address this issue, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency is leading an effort to define the toxic profile of a structurally representative group of PFAS chemicals to understand the intersection of their toxicity and structure. To determine the probability of PFAS chemicals causing adverse developmental effects, we tested 123 of the EPA PFAS chemical library using a zebrafish larval developmental assay. The control embryos showed less than 3% with abnormalities while there were 44 chemicals (36%) that produced developmental abnormalities. These preliminary data indicate that some of these PFAS chemicals may be potential vertebrate developmental toxicants.
Description:
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemical compounds made up of one or more carbons and fluorides that are found in many consumer and industrial products. Currently, there are 1223 PFAS chemicals included in the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) inventory. There is a need to understand the structure/activity of these chemicals. To address this issue, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is leading an effort to define the toxic profile of a structurally representative group of PFAS chemicals to understand the intersection of their toxicity and structure. While much is still unknown about PFAS toxicity, there is evidence that some members of the family cause developmental toxicity. To determine the probability of PFAS chemicals causing adverse developmental effects, we tested 123 of the EPA PFAS chemical library using a zebrafish larval developmental assay. Embryos were collected on the day of fertilization (day 0 post fertilization; 0 dpf) and were dosed with either dimethyl sulfoxide (vehicle), or one of the PFAS chemicals (n=6/chemical; ≤ 100µM). The plates were sealed with AlumaSeal II™ to prevent volatilization of PFAS and incubated at 26°C. On 6 dpf each larva was assessed by two independent, blinded observers who graded developmental landmarks (endpoints) of each larva: examples include mortality, hatching status, swim bladder inflation status, edema, abnormal spine/tail, cranial-facial abnormalities, and small size. Within the control group, only 2.7% of the larvae had any form of these abnormalities at 6 dpf. When given developmentally, there were 44 chemicals (36%) that produced developmental abnormalities in at least 3 of the 6 treated animals. These preliminary data indicate that some of these PFAS chemicals may be potential vertebrate developmental toxicants. This abstract may not necessarily reflect official Agency policy.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Developmental Toxicity Assessment of a Library of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Embryos/Larvae
PFAS CSETAC SLIDES BRITTON 5-18-20_20200518.PDF (PDF, NA pp, 704.135 KB, about PDF)