Zebra_K, a kinematic analysis automated platform for assessing sensitivity, habituation and prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response in adult zebrafish.

The acoustic startle response (ASR) is leaded by a sudden and intense acoustic stimulus. ASR has several forms of plasticity, including habituation and sensorimotor gating. Although ASR and its plasticity have been intensively studied in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae, information in adult zebrafish is still very scarce.

Analyzing the neurotoxic effects of anatoxin-a and saxitoxin in zebrafish larvae.

Global warming due to climate change, as well as freshwater eutrophication caused by anthropogenic activities are responsible, among other factors, for an increasing occurrence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in aquatic systems. These can lead to the generation of cyanotoxins, secondary metabolites coming from cyanobacteria, producing adverse effects in living organisms including death. This research aims to study the effects that two neurotoxins, anatoxin-a (ATX-a) and saxitoxin (STX), have on living organisms.

Understanding the impact of environmentally relevant alkyl C12-16 dimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride concentrations on zebrafish health.

Alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chlorides (ADBACs), classified as second-generation quaternary ammonium compounds, are extensively employed across various sectors, encompassing veterinary medicine, food production, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, ophthalmology, and agriculture. Consequently, significant volumes of ADBAC C12-C16 are discharged into the environment, posing a threat to aquatic organisms. Regrettably, comprehensive data regarding the toxicological characteristics of these compounds remain scarce.

The 10th Anniversary of : Recent Advances in Toxicology Research.

Last year (2023) was the tenth anniversary of [...

Polluted water from a storage dam (Villa Victoria, méxico) induces oxidative damage, AChE activity, embryotoxicity, and behavioral changes in Cyprinus carpio larvae.

The Villa Victoria dam is one of the most important storage reservoirs in Mexico since it distributes water to more than 20 million inhabitants in the Metropolitan Zone of Mexico City. In this dam, the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is an important food resource for the inhabitants, so the aim of this work was to evaluate the oxidative damage (lipoperoxidation, oxidized proteins, antioxidant enzymes activity and gene expression), AChE, embryotoxicity and behavioral changes in C. carpio embryos and larvae exposed to water from Villa Victoria dam for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h.

Cardiac and neurobehavioral impairments in three phylogenetically distant aquatic model organisms exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of boscalid.

Boscalid (2-Chloro-N-(4'-chlorobiphenyl-2-yl) nicotinamide), a pyridine carboxamide fungicide, is an inhibitor of the complex II of the respiration chain in fungal mitochondria. As boscalid is only moderately toxic for aquatic organisms (LC > 1-10 mg/L), current environmental levels of this compound in aquatic ecosystems, in the range of ng/L-μg/L, are considered safe for aquatic organisms. In this study, we have exposed zebrafish (Danio rerio), Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) and Daphnia magna to a range of concentrations of boscalid (1-1000 μg/L) for 24 h, and the effects on heart rate (HR), basal locomotor activity (BLA), visual motor response (VMR), startle response (SR), and habituation (HB) to a series of vibrational or light stimuli have been evaluated.

Developmental defects in cognition, metabolic and cardiac function following maternal exposures to low environmental levels of selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors and tributyltin in Daphnia magna.

Aquatic organisms are exposed to low concentrations of neuro-active chemicals, many of them acting also as neuroendocrine disruptors that can be hazardous during earlier embryonic stages. The present study aims to assess how exposure early in live to environmental low concentrations of two selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), fluoxetine and sertraline, and tributyltin (TBT) affected cognitive, metabolic and cardiac responses in the model aquatic crustacean Daphnia magna. To that end, newly brooded females were exposed for an entire reproductive cycle (3-4 days) and the response of collected juveniles in the first, second and third consecutive broods, which were exposed, respectively, as embryos, provisioned and un-provisioned egg stages, was monitored.

Analysis of sleep/wake cycles in zebrafish larvae.

Zebrafish larvae are a model organism increasingly used in the study of the effect of neuroactive chemicals on vertebrate sleep/wake cycles. Sleep disturbances have a negative impact on mood, cognition and overall health. Here we present a protocol to assess over 24 h sleep/wake cycles in zebrafish larvae subjected to 12 h light/dark periods in 48-well plates, using video-tracking technologies.

Impact of environmentally relevant concentrations of fluoxetine on zebrafish larvae: From gene to behavior.

Fluoxetine is widely prescribed for the treatment of depressive states, acting at the level of the central nervous system, consequently affecting non-target organisms. This study aimed to investigate the influence of environmentally relevant fluoxetine concentrations (1-1000 ng/L) on Danio rerio development, assessing both embryotoxicity and behavior, antioxidant defense, gene expression and neurotransmitter levels at larval stage. Exposure to fluoxetine during early development was found to be able to accelerate embryo hatching in embryos exposed to 1, 10 and 100 ng/L, reduce larval size in 1000 ng/L, and increase heart rate in 10, 100 and 1000 ng/L exposed larvae.

Environmental concentrations of tire rubber-derived 6PPD-quinone alter CNS function in zebrafish larvae.

N-(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine quinone (6PPD-quinone) is a degradation product of 6PPD, an antioxidant widely used in rubber tires. 6PPD-quinone enters aquatic ecosystems through urban stormwater runoff and has been identified as the chemical behind the urban runoff mortality syndrome in coho salmon. However, the available data suggest that the acute effects of 6PPD-quinone are restricted to a few salmonid species and that the environmental levels of this chemical should be safe for most fish.

Heart rate and behavioral responses in three phylogenetically distant aquatic model organisms exposed to environmental concentrations of carbaryl and fenitrothion.

Carbaryl and fenitrothion are two insecticides sharing a common mode of action, the inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Their use is now regulated or banned in different countries, and the environmental levels of both compounds in aquatic ecosystems have decreased to the range of pg/L to ng/L. As these concentrations are below the non-observed-adverse-effect-concentrations (NOAEC) for AChE inhibition reported for both compounds in aquatic organisms, there is a general agreement that the current levels of these two chemicals are safe for aquatic organisms.

Caged-carvedilol as a new tool for visible-light photopharmacology of β-adrenoceptors in native tissues.

Adrenoceptors are G protein-coupled receptors involved in a large variety of physiological processes, also under pathological conditions. This is due in large part to their ubiquitous expression in the body exerting numerous essential functions. Therefore, the possibility to control their activity with high spatial and temporal precision would constitute a valuable research tool.

Behavioral Impairment in Aquatic Organisms Exposed to Neurotoxic Pollutants.

Neuroactive chemicals are compounds that can modulate, at very low concentrations, the normal function of the central nervous systems of an organism through various primary modes of action (MoA) [...

A Photoswitchable Ligand Targeting the β -Adrenoceptor Enables Light-Control of the Cardiac Rhythm.

Catecholamine-triggered β-adrenoceptor (β-AR) signaling is essential for the correct functioning of the heart. Although both β - and β -AR subtypes are expressed in cardiomyocytes, drugs selectively targeting β -AR have proven this receptor as the main target for the therapeutic effects of beta blockers in the heart. Here, we report a new strategy for the light-control of β -AR activation by means of photoswitchable drugs with a high level of β -/β -AR selectivity.

Environmental levels of carbaryl impair zebrafish larvae behaviour: The potential role of ADRA2B and HTR2B.

The insecticide carbaryl is commonly found in indirectly exposed freshwater ecosystems at low concentrations considered safe for fish communities. In this study, we showed that after only 24 h of exposure to environmental concentrations of carbaryl (0.066-660 ng/L), zebrafish larvae exhibit impairments in essential behaviours.

Low concentrations of ciprofloxacin alone and in combination with paracetamol induce oxidative stress, upregulation of apoptotic-related genes, histological alterations in the liver, and genotoxicity in Danio rerio.

Nowadays, there are countless articles about the harmful effects of paracetamol (PCM) in non-target organisms. Nonetheless, information regarding the toxicity of ciprofloxacin (CPX) and the CPX-PCM mixture is still limited. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the hepatotoxic and genotoxic effects that ciprofloxacin alone and in combination with paracetamol may induce in Danio rerio adults.