PUBLICATION
Neurotoxicity and the potential molecular mechanisms of mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalic acid (MEHP) in zebrafish
- Authors
- Liu, Y., Huo, W.B., Deng, J.Y., Tang, Q.P., Wang, J.X., Liao, Y.L., Gou, D., Pei, D.S.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-231002-135
- Date
- 2023
- Source
- Ecotoxicology and environmental safety 265: 115516115516 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Pei, Desheng
- Keywords
- Mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalic acid, Neurotoxicity, Plasticizer, Zebrafish
- MeSH Terms
- none
- PubMed
- 37757626 Full text @ Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf.
Citation
Liu, Y., Huo, W.B., Deng, J.Y., Tang, Q.P., Wang, J.X., Liao, Y.L., Gou, D., Pei, D.S. (2023) Neurotoxicity and the potential molecular mechanisms of mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalic acid (MEHP) in zebrafish. Ecotoxicology and environmental safety. 265:115516115516.
Abstract
Mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalic acid (MEHP) is the most toxic metabolite of plasticizer di-2-ethylhexyl phthalic acid (DEHP), and there is limited information available on the effects of MEHP on neurotoxicity. This study aims to examine the neurotoxicity of MEHP and preliminarily explore its potential molecular mechanisms. We found that MEHP impeded the growth of zebrafish embryos and the neurodevelopmental-related gene expression at environmentally relevant concentrations. MEHP exposure also induces oxidative stress response and brain cell apoptosis accompanied by a decrease in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in zebrafish larvae. RNA-Seq and bioinformatics analysis showed that MEHP treatment altered the nervous system, neurogenic diseases, and visual perception pathways. The locomotor activity in dark-to-light cycles and phototaxis test confirmed the abnormal neural behavior of zebrafish larvae. Besides, the immune system has produced a large number of differentially expressed genes related to neural regulation. Inflammatory factor IL1β and IL-17 signaling pathways highly respond to MEHP, indicating that inflammation caused by immune system imbalance is a potential mechanism of MEHP-induced neurotoxicity. This study expands the understanding of the toxicity and molecular mechanisms of MEHP, providing a new perspective for in-depth neurotoxicity exploration of similar compounds.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping