title: The synthetic progestin megestrol acetate adversely affects zebrafish reproduction.
abstract: Synthetic progestins contaminate the aquatic ecosystem, and may cause adverse health effects on aquatic organisms. Megestrol acetate (MTA) is present in the aquatic environment, but its possible effects on fish reproduction are unknown. In the present study, we investigated the endocrine disruption and impact of MTA on fish reproduction. After a pre-exposure period of 14 days, reproductively mature zebrafish (Danio rerio) (F0) were exposed to MTA at environmental concentrations (33, 100, 333, and 666 ng/L) for 21 days. Egg production was decreased in F0 fish exposed to MTA, with a significant decrease at 666 ng/L. The exposure significantly decreased the circulating concentrations of estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) in female fish or 11-keto testosterone (11-KT) in male fish. MTA exposure significantly downregulated the transcription of certain genes along the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. MTA did not affect early embryonic development or hatching success in the F1 generation. The present study showed that MTA is a potent endocrine disruptor in fish, and short-term exposure to MTA could significantly affect reproduction in fish and negatively impact the fish population.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Qiangwei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Xianfeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control & Prevention, Wuhan 430079, China.
authors.forename: Yonggang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control & Prevention, Wuhan 430079, China.
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Bio-Resources Sustainable Utilization, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China.
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
authors.forename: Guangguo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ying
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Yongyong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China. Electronic address: bszhou@ihb.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Bingsheng
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D019290:Megestrol Acetate / Q000633:toxicity*; D010058:Oviposition / Q000187:drug effects; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D019290:Megestrol Acetate
keywords: Endocrine disruption; Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis; Progestin; Reproduction