Bisphenol B induces developmental toxicity in zebrafish via oxidative stress

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a typical endocrine disruptor, and the use of bisphenol B (BPB) as a substitute is gradually increasing. Some studies have shown that BPB also has endocrine disrupting effects, but its effects on the early stages of fish growth and development have not been reported. In this paper, zebrafish embryos were exposed to different concentrations of BPB until the 6th day post fertilization (dpf), and the toxic effects of BPB on the early development of zebrafish and the possible molecular mechanisms were investigated. The results showed that BPB exposure at 10, 100, and 1000 μg/L induced developmental toxic effects such as early neurotoxicity and cardiovascular toxicity in zebrafish, and the toxic effects were positively correlated with the degree of oxidative damage. These adverse results were ameliorated by the classical antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), suggesting the involvement of oxidative stress in BPB-induced early developmental toxicity. The above data suggest that BPB exposure increases oxidative damage and suppresses the expression of genes critical for early neurological and cardiovascular development, ultimately leading to early developmental toxicity in juvenile zebrafish. This study contributes to broadening our understanding of the toxic effects of BPB and provides a basic theoretical basis for the next management support of bisphenol analogs.