title: Developmental exposure of zebrafish larvae to organophosphate flame retardants causes neurotoxicity.
abstract: With the gradual ban on brominated flame retardants (FRs), the application of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) has increased remarkably. Considering the structural similarity between OPFRs and organophosphate pesticides, hypotheses that OPFRs may interfere with neurodevelopment as organophosphate pesticides are reasonable. In this study, the neurotoxicity of three OPFRs, including tri-n-butyl phosphate (TNBP), tris (2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) and tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), was evaluated in zebrafish larvae and then compared with the neurotoxicity of organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF). The results showed that similar to CPF, exposure to OPFRs for 5days resulted in significant changes in locomotor behavior, either in free swimming or in photomotor response. However, given the transcriptional changes that occur in nervous system genes in response to OPFRs and CPF, as well as the altered enzyme activity of AChE and its mRNA level, the underlying mechanisms for neurotoxicity among these organophosphate chemicals might be varied. In summary, the results confirm the potential neurodevelopmental toxicity of OPFRs and underscore the importance of identifying the mechanistic targets of the OPFRs with specific moieties. Furthermore, as the neurobehavioral responses are well conserved among vertebrates and the exposure of children to OPFRs is significant, a thorough assessment of the risk of OPFRs exposure during early development should be highly emphasized in future studies.
authors.affiliation: College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceuticals, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China.
authors.forename: Liwei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, Ocean College, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China.
authors.forename: Wenbin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Science, No. 231 Xingangxi Road, Guangzhou 510300, PR China.
authors.forename: Haigang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, Ocean College, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China.
authors.forename: Hana
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, Ocean College, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China.
authors.forename: Haifeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China. Electronic address: azwfu@zjut.du.cn.
authors.forename: Zhengwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fu
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D004390:Chlorpyrifos / Q000633:toxicity; D005260:Female; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000633:toxicity*; D007306:Insecticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D010755:Organophosphates / Q000633:toxicity*; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds / Q000633:toxicity; D010720:Phosphines / Q000633:toxicity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology*; D013550:Swimming; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D004390:Chlorpyrifos; D005411:Flame Retardants; D007306:Insecticides; D010755:Organophosphates; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D010720:Phosphines; C080938:tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine; C009524:tributyl phosphate; C013320:tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate
keywords: Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity; Aquatic organism; Early life stage; Gene transcriptional analysis; Locomotor behavior; Nervous system