Waterborne Exposure of Paclobutrazol at Environmental Relevant Concentration Induce Locomotion Hyperactivity in Larvae and Anxiolytic Exploratory Behavior in Adult Zebrafish

Akhlaq Hussain, Gilbert Audira, Petrus Siregar, Yi-Chen Lin, Omar Villalobos, Oliver Villaflores, Wen- Der Wang and Chung- Der Hsiao
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Akhlaq Hussain: Department of Bioscience Technology, Chung Yuan Christian University, Chung-Li 32023, Taiwan
Gilbert Audira: Department of Bioscience Technology, Chung Yuan Christian University, Chung-Li 32023, Taiwan
Petrus Siregar: Department of Bioscience Technology, Chung Yuan Christian University, Chung-Li 32023, Taiwan
Yi-Chen Lin: Department of Bioagricultural Science, National Chiayi University, Chiayi 60004, Taiwan
Omar Villalobos: Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santo Tomas, Manila 1015, Philippines
Oliver Villaflores: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santo Tomas, Manila 1015, Philippines
Wen- Der Wang: Department of Bioagricultural Science, National Chiayi University, Chiayi 60004, Taiwan
Chung- Der Hsiao: Department of Bioscience Technology, Chung Yuan Christian University, Chung-Li 32023, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-18

Abstract: The available arable land is unable to fulfill the food production need of rapidly the exponentially growing human population in the world. Pesticides are one of those different measures taken to meet this demand. As a plant growth regulator to block gibberellin, paclobutrazol (PBZ) is used excessively throughout the world to promote early fruit setting, and to increase seed setting which might be harmful because PBZ is a very stable compound; therefore, it can bioaccumulate into the food chain of an ecosystem. In the present study, we discovered unexpected effects of PBZ on zebrafish larvae and adult behaviors by challenging them with low dose exposure. Zebrafish larvae aged 4 days post-fertilization (dpf) were exposed for 24 h at 10 µg/L (0.01 ppm) and 100 µg/L (0.1 ppm) of PBZ, respectively, and adults were incubated at 100 µg/L (0.1 ppm) and 1000 µg/L (1 ppm) concentrations of PBZ, respectively, for fourteen days. After incubation, the locomotor activity, burst, and rotation movement for the larvae; and multiple behavioral tests such as novel tank exploration, mirror biting, shoaling, predator avoidance, and social interaction for adult zebrafish were evaluated. Brain tissues of the adult fish were dissected and subjected to biochemical analyses of the antioxidant response, oxidative stress, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and neurotransmitter levels. Zebrafish larvae exposed to PBZ exhibited locomotion hyperactivity with a high burst movement and swimming pattern. In adult zebrafish, PBZ resulted in anxiolytic exploratory behavior, while no significant results were found in social interaction, shoal making, and predator avoidance behaviors. Interestingly, high dose PBZ exposure significantly compromised the innate aggressive behavior of the adult fish. Biochemical assays for oxidative stress, antioxidant response, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) showed significant reductions in their relative contents. In conclusion, for the first time, our behavior assays revealed that chronic PBZ exposure induced behavioral alterations in both larvae and the adult zebrafish. Because PBZ is a widely-used plant growth regulator, we suggest that it is necessary to conduct more thorough tests for its biosafety and bioaccumulation.

Keywords: Paclobutrazol; biosafety; antioxidant response; anxiolytic behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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