title: Integrated biomarker responses in zebrafish exposed to sulfonamides.
abstract: Dispersed pharmaceuticals such as sulfonamides pose a threat to aquatic ecosystems. We evaluated potential biomarkers of sulfonamide exposure using an extended zebrafish (Danio rerio) toxicity test. The tested sulfonamides induced obvious effects on spontaneous swimming activity and heartbeat rate in zebrafish. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were examined to reflect the biomarker response of zebrafish exposed to three sulfonamides (sulfamethoxazole, sulfadiazine (SDZ) and sulfadimidine). Both GST and MDA showed time-dependent responses to sulfonamide exposure. GST activity was significantly increased after exposure to sulfonamides for 3 days, while MDA concentration reached a maximum during the first day and then declined. These results suggest that MDA may be a more sensitive biomarker of sulfonamide toxicity than GST. These investigations demonstrated that SDZ was a typical inducer of metabolic enzymes, suggesting that it poses a potential ecotoxicological risk to aquatic ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China; College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China. Electronic address: hit_lintao@163.com.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China.
authors.forename: Shilin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China.
authors.forename: Yanqiu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China; College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism*; D013411:Sulfadiazine / Q000633:toxicity; D013418:Sulfamethazine / Q000633:toxicity; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole / Q000633:toxicity; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000633:toxicity*; D013550:Swimming; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D013449:Sulfonamides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D013411:Sulfadiazine; D013418:Sulfamethazine; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole
keywords: Enzyme; Glutathione S-transferase; Malondialdehyde; Sulfonamide; Zebrafish