Tamoxifen affects the histology and hepatopancreatic lipid metabolism of swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus

Meimei Liu; Qiangmei Feng; David S Francis; Giovanni M Turchini; Chaoshu Zeng; Xugan Wu

doi:10.1016/j.aquatox.2019.06.003

Tamoxifen affects the histology and hepatopancreatic lipid metabolism of swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus

Aquat Toxicol. 2019 Aug:213:105220. doi: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2019.06.003. Epub 2019 Jun 3.

Authors

Meimei Liu¹, Qiangmei Feng², David S Francis³, Giovanni M Turchini³, Chaoshu Zeng⁴, Xugan Wu⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China; Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China.
² Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China.
³ Deakin University, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Geelong, 3220, VIC, Australia.
⁴ College of Science & Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia. Electronic address: chaoshu.zeng@jcu.edu.au.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China. Electronic address: wuxugan@hotmail.com.

PMID: 31202166
DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2019.06.003

Abstract

Tamoxifen (TAM) is an antiestrogenic agent and can enter the aquatic environment in wastewater. It has been reported that TAM can induce hepatic steatosis in vertebrates, however, the effects of TAM exposure on lipid metabolism of hepatopancreas in crustaceans remains unclear. In this study, four TAM concentrations (0, 6.7, 13.4 and 20 μg g^-1 crab body weight) were injected into the swimming-leg of swimming crabs Portunus trituberculatus, as a means of evaluating the effects of TAM on the expression levels of lipid metabolism-related genes, lipid composition, and hepatopancreas histology. The results showed that the mRNA levels of three lipogenic related genes (diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and fatty acyl desaturase (FAD)) decreased significantly in the 6.7 μg g^-1 and 20 μg g^-1 TAM treatments compare to the control. The mRNA levels of fatty acid synthase (FAS) decreased significantly in a dose-dependent manner as TAM concentration increased. The mRNA levels of two lipid catabolism-related genes (acyl-CoA oxidase (ACOX) and fatty acid transport protein (FATP)) were down-regulated among the three TAM treatments, while the enzyme activity and mRNA level of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT-I) was up-regulated by TAM treatments. Compared to the control, the lowest levels of total lipids and phospholipids were detected in the 6.7 μg g^-1 TAM treatment, while the 20 μg g^-1 TAM treatment had the lowest free fatty acids concentration. The 6.7 μg g^-1 TAM treatment had the lowest percentages of 16:1n-7, 18:1n-9, 18:1n-7 and total monounsaturated fatty acids (∑MUFA), whilst simultaneously recording the highest percentages of 18:2n-6 and 20:2n-6 in this treatment. Moreover, histological observations indicated that TAM caused the walls of the hepatopancreatic tubules to become brittle, with a concurrent increase in the number of blister-like cells. These results suggest that TAM damages the hepatopancreas and leads to a reduction in hepatopancreatic lipid deposition in P. trituberculatus.

Keywords: Hepatopancreas; Lipid metabolism; Portunus trituberculatus; Tamoxifen.

MeSH terms

Animals
Brachyura / drug effects
Brachyura / metabolism*
Carnitine O-Palmitoyltransferase / metabolism
Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / metabolism
Female
Hepatopancreas / drug effects
Hepatopancreas / metabolism*
Hepatopancreas / pathology*
Lipid Metabolism / drug effects*
Lipid Metabolism / genetics
Oxidation-Reduction
Swimming*
Tamoxifen / toxicity*
Water Pollutants, Chemical / toxicity

Substances

Fatty Acids, Nonesterified
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Tamoxifen
Carnitine O-Palmitoyltransferase