Adverse thyroid hormone and behavioral alterations induced by three frequently used synthetic musk compounds in embryo-larval zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Heeyeon Chae; Ba Reum Kwon; Sunggyu Lee; Hyo-Bang Moon; Kyungho Choi

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138273

Adverse thyroid hormone and behavioral alterations induced by three frequently used synthetic musk compounds in embryo-larval zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Chemosphere. 2023 May:324:138273. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138273. Epub 2023 Mar 1.

Authors

Heeyeon Chae¹, Ba Reum Kwon¹, Sunggyu Lee², Hyo-Bang Moon³, Kyungho Choi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
² Marine Environment Research Division, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Busan, Republic of Korea.
³ Department of Marine Science and Convergence Engineering, Hanyang University, Ansan, Republic of Korea.
⁴ Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea; Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea. Electronic address: kyungho@snu.ac.kr.

PMID: 36868414
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138273

Abstract

Synthetic musk compounds (SMCs) have been extensively used in numerous consumer products, such as perfumes, cosmetics, soap, and fabric softener. Due to their bioaccumulative nature, these compounds have often been detected in the aquatic ecosystem. However, their effects on endocrine and behavioral effects in freshwater fish have rarely been investigated. In the present study, thyroid disruption and neurobehavioral toxicity of SMCs were investigated using embryo-larval zebrafish (Danio rerio). Three frequently used SMCs, i.e., musk ketone (MK), 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethyl-cyclopenta [g]- benzopyran (HHCB), and 6-acetyl-1,1,2,4,4,7-hexamethyltetralin (AHTN), were chosen. Experimental concentrations for HHCB and AHTN were selected to include the maximum levels reported in the ambient water. The 5-day exposure to either MK or HHCB led to significant decrease of T4 concentration in the larval fish at the levels as low as 0.13 μg/L, even though compensatory transcriptional changes, e.g., up-regulation of hypothalamic crhβ gene and/or down-regulation of ugt1ab gene, were taken place. In contrast, AHTN exposure resulted in up-regulation of crhβ, nis, ugt1ab, and dio2 genes but did not alter T4 level, suggesting its lesser thyroid disrupting potential. All tested SMCs caused hypoactivity of the larval fish. Several genes related to neurogenesis or development, e.g., mbp and syn2a, were down-regulated, but the patterns of transcriptional changes were different among the tested SMCs. The present observations demonstrate that MK and HHCB can decrease T4 levels and cause hypoactivity of the larval zebrafish. It requires attention that HHCB and AHTN could influence thyroid hormone or behavior of the larval fish even at the levels close to those observed in the ambient environment. Further studies on potential ecological consequences of these SMCs in freshwater environment are warranted.

Keywords: Behavior; Freshwater; Synthetic musk; Thyroid hormones; Zebrafish.

MeSH terms

Animals
Ecosystem
Larva
Thyroid Hormones
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / toxicity
Zebrafish*

Substances

musk
Thyroid Hormones
musk ketone
Water Pollutants, Chemical