title: Compensatory growth induced in zebrafish larvae after pre-exposure to a Microcystis aeruginosa natural bloom extract containing microcystins.
abstract: Early life stage tests with zebrafish (Danio rerio) were used to detect toxic effects of compounds from a Microcystis aeruginosa natural bloom extract on their embryolarval development. We carried out the exposure of developing stages of fish to complex cyanobacterial blooms containing hepatotoxic molecules - microcystins. Fish embryo tests performed with the bloom extract containing 3 mg.L(-1) Eq microcystin-LR showed that after 24 h of exposure all fish embryos died. The same tests performed with other diluted extracts (containing 0.3, 0.1 and 0.03 mg.L(-1) Eq microcystin-LR) were shown to have an influence on zebrafish development and a large number of embryos showed malformation signs (edema, bent and curving tail). After hatching the larvae were transferred to a medium without toxins to follow the larval development under the new conditions. The specific growth of the pre-exposed larvae was significantly more important than that of the control larvae. This may represent a compensatory growth used to reduce the difference in size with the control fish noted after hatching.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Laboratory of Biology and Biotechnology of Microorganisms, Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology Unit, Faculty of Sciences Semlalia Marrakech, University Cadi Ayyad, P.O. Box 2390, Marrakech 40000, Morocco.
authors.forename: Issam El
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Ghazali
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Laboratory of Biology and Biotechnology of Microorganisms, Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology Unit, Faculty of Sciences Semlalia Marrakech, University Cadi Ayyad, P.O. Box 2390, Marrakech 40000, Morocco.
authors.forename: Sanaa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saqrane
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, CIIMAR/CIMAR-LA, Rua dos Bragas 289, Porto 4050-123, Portugal.|Departamento de Zoologia e Antropologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Antonio Paulo
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Laboratorio de Fisiologia Vegetal, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Youness
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ouahid
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Laboratory of Biology and Biotechnology of Microorganisms, Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology Unit, Faculty of Sciences Semlalia Marrakech, University Cadi Ayyad, P.O. Box 2390, Marrakech 40000, Morocco.
authors.forename: Brahim
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Oudra
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Laboratorio de Fisiologia Vegetal, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fernandez Del Campo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Laboratory of Biology and Biotechnology of Microorganisms, Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology Unit, Faculty of Sciences Semlalia Marrakech, University Cadi Ayyad, P.O. Box 2390, Marrakech 40000, Morocco.
authors.forename: Vitor
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3585-2417
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vasconcelos