| Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are environmental contaminants caused by incomplete combustion of coal, soot, and other organic compounds. Retinoic acid is a teratogen known to contribute to developmental abnormalities. Effects of benzo[a]pyrene, diesel particulate matter, and retinoic acid were investigated in zebrafish embryos for early deformities. A 96hpf embryo-larval bioassay was developed from the blastula to hatching stage. Early life stage observation from 24-96hpf was made at different stages of development following single and binary exposures to three different xenobiotics at sublethal and lethal concentrations: Benzo[a]pyrene and Diesel Particulate Matter which are known carcinogens, and Retinoic Acid, a known teratogen. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to graded concentrations of Benzo[a]pyrene (1-10mug/L), Diesel Particulate Matter (25-150mug/L), and Retinoic Acid (0.7-1.5mu/L). Sublethal, lethal, and teratogenic endpoints were selected to assess physiological impairments at the cellular level. These concentrations caused spinal abnormalities, pericardial edema, yolk sac edema, decreased heart rates, and arrested development. These data indicate that zebrafish show symptoms of developmental toxicity to sublethal levels of benzo[a]pyrene, diesel particulate matter, and retinoic acid.;In the environment, PAHs appear as mixtures causing deformities including pericardial edema and cardiac dysfunction. In this study, we investigated the interaction of zebrafish embryos to individual and complex mixtures of BAP, DPM, and RA during early embryogenesis. The findings from this study indicate that early life stages (48--96hpf) of zebrafish demonstrate embryotoxicity and teratogenicity to pre- and post-hatching exposure to single and binary exposures of benzo[a]pyrene, diesel particulate matter and retinoic acid. There were observable symptoms of increased mortality, reduced hatching success, depressed heart rates, elevated incidences of pericardial and yolk sac edema, stunted growth, and skeletal deformities. Multigenerational studies indicate that the F2 generation is more sensitive to BAP, DPM, and RA exposure when compared to the F1 generation. |
