Assessment of environmental exposure to betamethasone on the reproductive function of female Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes)

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety Vol. 281; p. 116651
• Main Authors: Su, Maoliang, Zhong, Youling, Chen, Yuru, Xiang, Jiazhi, Ye, Zhiyin, Liao, Shujia, Ye, Shiyang, Zhang, Junbin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01.08.2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Abnormal oogenesis; Animals; Betamethasone; Betamethasone - toxicity; Environmental Exposure; Female; Fertility - drug effects; Gonadal Steroid Hormones; Oogenesis - drug effects; Oryzias - physiology; Oryzias latipes; Ovary; Ovary - drug effects; Pituitary Gland - drug effects; Reproduction - drug effects; Reproductive function; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Abnormal oogenesis; Ovary; Reproductive function; Oryzias latipes; Betamethasone
• ISSN: 0147-6513; 1090-2414; 1090-2414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116651

Betamethasone has been extensively used in medicine in recent years and poses potential hazards to aquatic organisms. This study investigated the reproductive toxic effects of betamethasone exposure in fish, employing female Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) as a model. Betamethasone exposure at environmentally relevant concentrations (0, 20, 200, and 2000 ng/L) for a period of 15 weeks resulted in its high accumulation in the ovary, leading to abnormal oogenesis in female Japanese medaka. The production of gonadotropins (LH and FSH) in the pituitary gland was inhibited, and sex steroid biosynthesis in the ovary was significantly influenced at the transcriptional level. The imbalance of androgens and estrogens resulted in a decrease in the E2/T ratio and hepatic VTG synthesis, and the suppression of estrogen receptor signaling was also induced. Furthermore, betamethasone exposure delayed spawning and reduced fertility in the F0 generation, and had detrimental effects on the fertilization rate and hatchability of the F1 generation. Our results showed that environmental betamethasone had the potential to adversely affect female fertility and steroid hormone dynamics in fish. •The production of gonadotropins was inhibited by betamethasone exposure.•Sex steroid biosynthesis in ovaries was influenced, and the E2/T ratio declined.•Betamethasone exposure suppressed estrogen signal pathway in female medaka.•Betamethasone impeded ovarian development, causing low fertility.