Changes in thyroid hormone levels and related gene expressions in embryo-larval zebrafish exposed to binary combinations of bifenthrin and acetochlor.

Bifenthrin (BF) and acetochlor (AT) are widely used as an insecticide and herbicide, respectively, which are introduced to the aquatic environment as a natural result. Although the thyroid active substances may coexist in the environment, their joint effects on fish have not been identified. We examined the joint toxicity of BF and AT in zebrafish (Danio rerio) in this study. An acute lethal toxicity test indicated that the median lethal concentration (LC) values of BF and AT under 96 h treatment were 0.40 and 4.56 µmol L, respectively. The binary mixture of BF + AT displayed an antagonistic effect on the acute lethal toxicity. After 14 days post fertilization (dpf) with exposure to individual pesticides at sub-lethal concentrations of, no effects were observed on the catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) activities, while the binary mixtures (except for the 7.2 × 10 µmol L BF + 1.2 × 10 µmol L AT exposure group) significantly induced the CAT activity. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and triiodothyronine (T3) level were significantly increased in all exposure groups. The thyroxine (T4) level remained unchanged after exposure to individual pesticides, but significantly increased in the 7.2 × 10 µmol L BF + 1.2 × 10 µmol L AT group. The expressions of the genes Dio2, TRa, TSHβ and CRH in the thyroid hormone (TH) axis were significantly up-regulated in the 7.2 × 10 µmol L BF + 0.4 × 10 µmol L AT group. Our data indicated that the binary mixture of BF + AT significantly altered the antioxidant enzyme activities and gene expressions in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis and changed the TH levels.