Self-protective transcriptional alterations in ZF4 cells exposed to Pb(NO₃ )₂ and AgNO₃

In this study, gene expression alterations of phase I to III enzymes, transcription factors, and microRNA (miRNA) in embryonic zebrafish fibroblasts (ZF4) cells after the treatment of Pb(NO₃ )₂ and AgNO₃ were investigated, to illustrate the possible detoxification pathway of heavy metal ions. It was observed that both metals caused concentration-dependent death and moderate elevation of oxidative stress in ZF4 cells. In response to such toxicity, upregulation of multidrug resistance protein (mdr)4 and multiresistance-associated protein (mrp)1 were found. However, enhanced expression of glutathione S-transferase (gst) and cytochrome P450 (cyp)1a could only be detected during the exposure of Pb²⁺ . In addition, both metals induced extensive upregulation of pregnane X receptor (pxr), but only moderate elevation of E2-related factor (nrf2), while they suppressed the expression of miR-122 and miR-126. In conclusion, Pb²⁺ and Ag⁺ shared the same detoxification mechanism including ABC transporters, Pxr, and miRNA in ZF4 cells, which needs further investigation.