title: Xenobiotics Produce Distinct Metabolomic Responses in Zebrafish Larvae (Danio rerio).
abstract: Sensitive and quantitative protocols for characterizing low-dose effects are needed to meet the demands of 21st century chemical hazard assessment. To test the hypothesis that xenobiotic exposure at environmentally relevant concentrations produces specific biochemical fingerprints in organisms, metabolomic perturbations in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo/larvae were measured following 24 h exposures to 13 individual chemicals covering a wide range of contaminant classes. Measured metabolites (208 in total) included amino acids, biogenic amines, fatty acids, bile acids, sugars, and lipids. The 96-120 h post-fertilization developmental stage was the most appropriate model for detecting xenobiotic-induced metabolomic perturbations. Metabolomic fingerprints were largely chemical- and dose-specific and were reproducible in multiple exposures over a 16-month period. Furthermore, chemical-specific responses were detected in the presence of an effluent matrix; importantly, in the absence of morphological response. In addition to improving sensitivity for detecting biological responses to low-level xenobiotic exposures, these data can aid the classification of novel contaminants based on the similarity of metabolomic responses to well-characterized "model" compounds. This approach is clearly of use for rapid, sensitive, and specific analyses of chemical effect on organisms, and can supplement existing methods, such as the Zebrafish Embryo Toxicity assay (OECD TG236), with molecular-level information.
authors.affiliation: AXYS Analytical Services Ltd., Sidney, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Susie S Y
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: AXYS Analytical Services Ltd., Sidney, British Columbia, Canada.|Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry (ACES), Stockholm University , Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jonathan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Benskin
authors.affiliation: AXYS Analytical Services Ltd., Sidney, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Bharat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chandramouli
authors.affiliation: AXYS Analytical Services Ltd., Sidney, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria , Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Caren C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Helbing
authors.affiliation: AXYS Analytical Services Ltd., Sidney, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Cosgrove
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000187:drug effects; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects*; D055432:Metabolomics; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity; D015262:Xenobiotics / Q000378:metabolism; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D015262:Xenobiotics