Sex-stratified Gut Microbiome Disruption is Associated with Altered Hepatic Gene Expression during Acute Azoxystrobin...

Area of Science:

• Environmental toxicology
• Microbiome research
• Zebrafish models

Background:

• Azoxystrobin is a prevalent fungicide with known toxicities.
• Its impact on gut microbiota and subsequent host effects are not fully understood.
• Investigating these links is crucial for understanding fungicide-related health risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of azoxystrobin exposure on zebrafish gut microbiota and liver.
• To determine the dose- and sex-dependent responses to azoxystrobin.
• To explore the correlation between microbiome alterations and host toxicity.

Main Methods:

• Zebrafish were exposed to varying concentrations of azoxystrobin (5-500 mg/kg).
• Fecal amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing analyzed gut microbiome composition and function.
• Liver gene expression was quantified using transcriptomics.
• Histopathology assessed host tissue changes.

Main Results:

• Azoxystrobin exposure caused significant, dose- and sex-dependent alterations in the gut microbiome.
• Increased xenobiotic metabolism pathways and decreased bacterial motility were observed in microbial communities.
• Host liver showed increased biliary proliferation and transcriptional changes indicative of stress.
• Microbiome compositional shifts correlated with host gene expression changes.

Conclusions:

• Azoxystrobin concurrently impacts the gut microbiota and liver in zebrafish.
• Microbiome disruption is implicated as a potential contributor to azoxystrobin-induced liver gene expression changes.
• Microbiome-targeted interventions may mitigate azoxystrobin's adverse health effects.