Toxic effects of chronic exposure to BPAF and perturbation of gut microbiota homeostasis in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma)

Zuchun Chen; Tianyang Zhou; Xiaotian Chen; Zhang Huan; Jianxuan Huang; Shulan Lu; Manwen Zeng; Yusong Guo; Zhongduo Wang; Zhongdian Dong

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177745

Toxic effects of chronic exposure to BPAF and perturbation of gut microbiota homeostasis in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma)

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Nov 27:957:177745. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177745. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Fishery, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology and Epidemiology for Aquatic Economic Animals, College of Fishery, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China.
² Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Fishery, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China.
³ Center for Industrial Analysis and Testing, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Fishery, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology and Epidemiology for Aquatic Economic Animals, College of Fishery, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China. Electronic address: zddong@gdou.edu.cn.

PMID: 39608261
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177745

Abstract

Bisphenol AF (BPAF), a substitute for bisphenol A (BPA), exhibits potent endocrine-disrupting properties that pose a serious health hazard to organisms. This study employed marine medaka as a model, subjecting them to different concentrations of BPAF (0.61, 6.65, and 91.88 μg/L) from the embryonic stage for a period of 160 days. Findings showed that 91.88 μg/L BPAF reduced survival rates and altered sex ratios. Furthermore, exposure to BPAF at all concentrations led to a significant increase in body length and weight. Behavioral analysis revealed that BPAF exposure impaired the swimming ability of the medaka. Histological changes included disrupted ovarian development, reduced sperm count, liver inflammation, and intestinal damage. Gene expression analysis revealed impacts on nervous system (e.g., gap43, itr, elavl3), HPG axis (e.g., gthα, erα, 3βhsd), and liver genes (e.g., chgl, vtg2). Additionally, BPAF altered the diversity and richness of gut microbes in marine medaka, leading to significant changes in specific bacterial species and intestinal functions. In conclusion, long-term BPAF exposure induced neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, and impaired digestive and immune systems in marine medaka, with sex-specific effects. These results provide further evidence of the potential hazards of BPAF as an environmental pollutant.

Keywords: Bisphenol AF; Microflora; Neurotoxicity; Oryzias melastigma; Reproductive toxicity.