Testolactone is a potent steroid aromatase (CYP19A1) inhibitor, and its main effect is a reduction in estradiol and estrone and an increase in testosterone and androstenedione levels. In this work, we evaluated a zebrafish water tank (ZWT) as a model to investigate testolactone biotransformation and the possibility to increase knowledge regarding the applicability of the ZWT on steroid hormone elimination research, as well as on the impact of steroid hormones on the endogenous metabolism of zebrafish. High-resolution mass spectrometry combined with SIEVE software was used to discriminate the peaks of interest based on significant changes in the relative signal intensity of the m/z values between different ZWT experiments. The metabolites, 4,5-dihydrotestolactone and 1,2,4,5-tetrahydrotestolactone, the same metabolites as those described in humans, were detected in ZWT, both in quite similar proportions. The presence of testolactone in the ZWT caused a rise in testosterone and androstenedione in the water tank, similar to that in human serum. These data suggest that, while the concentration of testolactone was high enough to inhibit the aromatase enzyme, an accumulation of androgens in the water occurred, indicating that the ZWT can be considered a model to investigate the impact of steroids on live organisms.
Keywords: aromatase (CYP19A1); doping control; high-resolution mass spectrometry; testolactone; zebrafish water tank.