Use of all-male triploid population of zebrafish (Danio rerio) for evaluation of 17α-ethinylestradiol effects.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

We tested the toxicity of ethinylestradiol, a semisynthetic estrogen used in oral contraceptives, on all-male triploid zebrafish using commercial feeds and three different doses concentrations. We aimed to determine whether ethinylestradiol peroral administration resulted in vitellogenin production and whether all-male triploid zebrafish could serve as a model species for xenoestrogen testing.

METHODS:

The actual concentrations of 17α-ethinylestradiol were 0.0035 (low); 0.0315 (medium) and 0.365 (high) µg/g. Positive control represented commercial feeds containing 0.0465 µg/g of β-estradiol. The experiment lasted 8 weeks.

RESULTS:

Our results indicate that 17α-ethinylestradiol consumption does induce vitellogenin production in triploid zebrafish.

CONCLUSIONS:

The simple presence of vitellogenin is a definite symptom indicative of the potential for such changes due to the action of estrogenic substances. As such, this experiment has shown that the use of all-male triploid zebrafish populations, rather than the mixed-sex populations of other species previously used, could serve as a suitable alternative model population for controlled testing of the effects of xenoestrogens on fish.

• Authors: Zuzana Weiserova, Viola Zentrichova, Denisa Medkova, Jana Blahova, Ales Franc, Michaela Garajova, Jan Mares, Eva Postulkova, Roman Franek, Martin Psenicka, Petr Marsalek, Zdenka Svobodova
• Journal: Neuro endocrinology letters (Neuro Endocrinol Lett) Vol. 43 Issue 5 Pg. 281-290 (Dec 20 2022) ISSN: 2354-4716 [Electronic] Sweden
• PMID: 36584404 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Vitellogenins
• Ethinyl Estradiol
• Estrogens
• Water Pollutants, Chemical

Topics

• Animals
• Male
• Zebrafish (genetics)
• Vitellogenins (genetics)
• Triploidy
• Ethinyl Estradiol (toxicity)
• Estrogens (pharmacology)
• Water Pollutants, Chemical