Mixed Exposure of Persistent Organic Pollutants Alters Oxidative Stress Markers and Mitochondrial Function in the Tail of Zebrafish Depending on Sex

Songhee Lee, Eun Ko, Hyojin Lee, Ki-Tae Kim, Moonsung Choi and Sooim Shin
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Songhee Lee: Interdisciplinary Program of Bioenergy and Biomaterials Graduate School, College of Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
Eun Ko: Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, College of Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
Hyojin Lee: Department of Environmental Energy Engineering, College of Energy and Biotechnology, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 01811, Korea
Ki-Tae Kim: Department of Environmental Energy Engineering, College of Energy and Biotechnology, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 01811, Korea
Moonsung Choi: Department of Optometry, College of Energy and Biotechnology, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 01811, Korea
Sooim Shin: Interdisciplinary Program of Bioenergy and Biomaterials Graduate School, College of Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-13

Abstract: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are lipid-soluble toxins that are not easily degraded; therefore, they accumulate in the environment and the human body. Several studies have indicated a correlation between POPs and metabolic diseases; however, their effects on mitochondria as a central organelle in cellular metabolism and the usage of mitochondria as functional markers for metabolic disease are barely understood. In this study, a zebrafish model system was exposed to two subclasses of POPs, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), under two different conditions (solitary OCPs or OCPs with PCBs (Aroclor 1254)), and changes in the oxidative stress marker levels and mitochondrial enzyme activities in the electron transport chain of the tail were measured to observe the correlation between POPs and representative biomarkers for metabolic disease. The results indicated different responses upon exposure to OCPs and OCPs with Aroclor 1254, and accelerated toxicity was observed following exposure to mixed POPs (OCPs with Aroclor 1254). Males were more sensitive to changes in the levels of oxidative stress markers induced by POP exposure, whereas females were more susceptible to the toxic effects of POPs on the levels of mitochondrial activity markers. These results demonstrate that the study reflects real environmental conditions, with low-dose and multiple-toxin exposure for a long period, and that POPs alter major mitochondrial enzymes’ functions with an imbalance of redox homeostasis in a sex-dependent manner.

Keywords: Aroclor 1254; endocrine disruptors; mitochondrial dysfunction; organochlorine pesticides; oxidative stress; persistent organic pollutants; polychlorinated biphenyls (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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