Health Impact Assessment of Sulfolane on Embryonic Development of Zebrafish (Danio rerio)
Date
2018-07-30
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Abstract
Sulfolane is a widely used polar, aprotic solvent for multiple applications in numerous industries. Through problems with storage, leaks, spills and leeching; sulfolane has been introduced into the environment and has been detected through chemical analysis in groundwater and creeks around the world including Alberta, Canada (800 µg·mL-1), Louisiana, USA (2900 µg·mL-1) and Brisbane, Australia (4344 µg·mL-1). Previous research on terrestrial organisms has demonstrated hyperactivity, shortness of breath, convulsions, and internal molecular changes following sulfolane exposure. However, relatively little information is available on the adverse impacts of sulfolane on aquatic organisms. This study investigates the adverse effects of sulfolane on morphological, behavioural and transcript abundance in developing zebrafish embryos. A wide range of concentrations (0 – 5000 µg·mL-1) were tested on survival, hatching, morphometric characteristics (yolk sac and pericardial edema, hemorrhaging, spinal malformations, swim bladder inflation), growth (larval length, condition factor, eye volume), yolk sac utilization, behavior (response to touch stimuli and light stimuli) and transcript abundances of a number of genes (ahr1a, cyp1a, thraa, dio1, dio2, dio3, 11βhsd2, gr, aqp3a, cyp19a1b, ddc, gria2b, hsp70). Minimum effective doses were different for morphometrics and growth parameters (800-1000 µg·mL-1), behaviour (200-500 µg·mL-1) and transcript abundance (10 µg·mL-1). The overall results provide novel information on the adverse effects of sulfolane on an aquatic vertebrate model organism, and a framework for better understanding of potential adverse health impacts of environmental levels of sulfolane in fish and other vertebrates.
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Keywords
Sulfolane, Zebrafish, Danio rerio, Morphometrics, Transcript Abundance, Behavioural Assessment, Larval Activity, Remediation, Development, Health Impact Assessment
Citation
Shah, S. M. (2018). Health Impact Assessment of Sulfolane on Embryonic Development of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/32716