Abstract:
Bisphenol AF (BPAF), which is widely used in industrial production, has been proven to be an endocrine-disrupting chemical with potential risks to the environment and human health. The objective of the present study was to test the susceptibility of zebrafish (Danio rerio) to BPAF during developmental stages of the embryos and larvae. The experiments were conducted by exposing the embryos and larvae to BPAF at 1.0,1.5,2.0,2.5 and 3.0 mg/L. The treatment of 0.1% dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) was used as a control group. The exposure of the embryos was started at 2 hpf, and the observation time was from 24 h to 120 h. Malformation of zebrafish embryos was observed, including the pericardial edema, abnormal yolk sac, reduced heart rate and cardiac arrest. The malformation rate of embryos exposed to BPAF at 2.0,2.5 and 3.0 mg/L for 96 h reached 100%. Based on the malformation rate, 24 h EC
50 of BPAF was 2.00 mg/L for the embryos. The heart rates of the embryos were significantly reduced with 72 h exposure (P<0.01) at all BPAF concentrations. At 3.0 mg/L BPAF exposure, the embryos died in the chorion with a hatching rate of 0. The 96 h LC
50 value was 1.84 mg/L. The exposure of the larvae was started at 72 hpf, and the observation time was from 24 to 96 h. The results showed that the swim bladders of the larvae closed with 72 h exposure at all BPAF concentrations, except for 10% at 1.0 mg/L BPAF. With the deepening intoxication, the pericardial edema, yolk sac edema, curvature of the spine and cardiac arrest were observed in sequence for the larvae. Based on the pericardial edema, the 48 and 72 h EC
50 values of BPAF were 1.76 and 1.56 mg/L for the larvae, respectively, and the 96 h LC
50 was 1.77 mg/L. In conclusion, zebrafish larvae are more susceptible to BPAF exposure than embryos, and the pericardial edema of larvae could be one of the best indicators responding to BPAF exposure.