Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026
08:36
Neurotoxicity Assessment in Adult Danio rerio using a Battery of Behavioral Tests in a Single Tank
Published on: November 3, 2023
Dicofol induces neurotoxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio)
Xianlang Liu1, Han Xiao1, Zhipeng Liao1
1Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Geography and Environmental Engineering, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou, 341000, China.
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
|August 7, 2026
Summary
Dicofol (DCF) pesticide exposure causes neurotoxicity in zebrafish by disrupting brain cell functions, leading to apoptosis. This highlights potential ecological and human health risks from this persistent organic pollutant.
Area of Science:
- Environmental toxicology
- Neuroscience
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Dicofol (DCF) is a persistent organic pollutant (POP) with an incompletely understood toxicological profile in vertebrates.
- Previous research has not fully elucidated the mechanisms of DCF toxicity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neurotoxic effects and underlying mechanisms of dicofol (DCF) exposure in zebrafish (Danio rerio).
- To identify potential molecular targets of DCF action.
Main Methods:
- Exposure of zebrafish to sublethal concentrations of DCF.
- Behavioral analysis, apoptosis assays, molecular docking, enzyme activity assays, biochemical analyses (calcium, oxidative stress, protein ubiquitylation), and transcriptomic profiling.
- Identification of Na+/K+-ATPase (ATP1A3A) as a potential target.
Main Results:
- DCF exposure induced behavioral abnormalities and brain apoptosis in zebrafish.
- DCF inhibited Na+/K+-ATPase activity and elevated intracerebral calcium levels.
- Increased oxidative stress, protein misfolding, and accumulation of phosphorylated tau protein were observed.
- Transcriptomic analysis revealed disrupted apoptotic pathways, calcium homeostasis, and neuronal gene expression.
Conclusions:
- Dicofol (DCF) exposure causes neurotoxicity and neuronal apoptosis in zebrafish via disruption of multiple signaling cascades.
- Potential ecological risks to aquatic species and human health implications due to conserved toxicity mechanisms.
- DCF contamination may pose an unrecognized environmental risk to neurological health, warranting regulatory attention.
