Defects in cardiac function precede morphological abnormalities in fish embryos exposed to polycyclic aromatic

John P Incardona¹, Tracy K Collier, Nathaniel L Scholz

¹Environmental Conservation Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA 98112, USA. john.incardona@noaa.gov

|April 15, 2004

Summary

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in crude oil cause birth defects in fish embryos. Specific PAHs like dibenzothiophene and phenanthrene primarily affect cardiac function, leading to developmental abnormalities.

Area of Science:

Environmental Toxicology
Developmental Biology
Marine Biology

Background:

Fish embryos exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from petrogenic sources exhibit developmental abnormalities.
These abnormalities include cardiac dysfunction, edema, spinal curvature, and craniofacial malformations.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the toxic mechanisms of PAHs in fish embryos.
To investigate the effects of specific PAHs and their mixtures on zebrafish development.

Main Methods:

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos were exposed to seven non-alkylated PAHs and two PAH mixtures.
Chemicals included five two- to four-ring compounds abundant in crude oil.
Cardiac function was genetically ablated using a cardiac troponin T antisense morpholino oligonucleotide for comparison.

Main Results:

Dibenzothiophene and phenanthrene alone induced the characteristic suite of defects, primarily through cardiac conduction disruption.
These cardiac effects led to secondary defects in morphogenesis, kidney, neural tube, and craniofacial development.
Pyrene induced a different syndrome of anemia, vascular defects, and neuronal cell death.

Conclusions:

Different PAH compounds exert distinct and specific toxic effects on fish early life stages.
Cardiac conduction is a key target for PAH-induced developmental toxicity.
PAH toxicity in aquatic environments is dependent on the specific compounds present and their concentrations.

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Defects in cardiac function precede morphological abnormalities in fish embryos exposed to polycyclic aromatic...

Area of Science:

Background:

Purpose of the Study:

Main Methods:

Main Results:

Conclusions:

Related Concept Videos

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Defects in cardiac function precede morphological abnormalities in fish embryos exposed to polycyclic aromatic