New insight into long-term effects of phthalates microplastics in developing zebrafish: Evidence from genomic alteration and organ development

• Published in: Environmental toxicology and pharmacology Vol. 99; p. 104087
• Main Authors: Mansuri, Abdulkhalik, Kansara, Krupa, Raiyani, Dixit, Mazmudar, Dhairya, Kumar, Ashutosh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.04.2023
• Subjects: Animals; Aquatic organisms; Developmental genes; Dibutyl Phthalate - toxicity; Diethylhexyl Phthalate; Genomics; Microplastics; Mortality; Oxidative stress; Phthalic Acids - toxicity; Plasticizer; Plasticizers - toxicity; Plastics; Smad5 Protein; Zebrafish - genetics; Zebrafish Proteins - genetics; Oxidative stress; Aquatic organisms; Plasticizer; Developmental genes; Mortality
• ISSN: 1382-6689; 1872-7077
• DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2023.104087

The plasticizer leaches from the microplastics are one of the significant concerns related to plastic pollution. These plasticizers are known to be endocrine disrupters; however, little is known about their long-term effect on the development of aquatic vertebrates. Hence, the present study has been conducted to provide a holistic understanding of the effect of the three most common plasticizers, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), and di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) leaching out from the microplastics in zebrafish development. Zebrafish larvae were exposed to different phthalates at different concentrations. The phthalates have shown significantly higher mortality and morphological changes in the larva upon exposure compared to the control. A significant change in the genes related to cardiovascular development (krit1, fbn2b), dorsoventral axis development (chrd, smad5), tail formation (pkd2, wnt3a, wnt8a), and floorplate development (foxa2) were also observed under the effects of the phthalates in comparison to control. [Display omitted] •Long-term exposure of phthalates to zebrafish larvae affects its development.•Phthalates induce mortality and transcriptional alterations in developmental genes.•Phthalates induce oxidative stress and malformations.•Phthalates affect the development of vital organs like the liver and intestine.•Amongst the tested phthalates, DBP is found to be the most toxic.