Assessment of endocrine disruptors effects on zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos by untargeted LC-HRMS metabolomic analysis

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and tributyltin (TBT) are emerging endocrine disruptors (EDCs) with still poorly defined mechanisms of toxicity and metabolic effects in aquatic organisms. We used an untargeted liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) metabolomic approach to study the effects of sub-lethal doses of these three EDCs on the metabolic profiles of zebrafish embryos exposed from 48 to 120hpf (hours post fertilization). Advanced chemometric data analysis methods were used to reveal effects on the subjacent regulatory pathways. EDC treatments induced changes in concentrations of about 50 metabolites for TBT and BPA, and of 25 metabolites for PFOS. The analysis of the corresponding metabolic changes suggested the presence of similar underlying zebrafish responses to BPA, TBT and PFOS affecting the metabolism of glycerophospholipids, amino acids, purines and 2-oxocarboxylic acids. We related the changes in glycerophospholipid metabolism to alterations in absorption of the yolk sack, the main source of nutrients (including lipids) for the developing embryo, linking the molecular markers with adverse phenotypic effects. We propose a general mode of action for all three chemical compounds, probably related to their already described interaction with the PPAR/RXR complex, combined with specific effects on different signaling pathways resulting in particular alterations in the zebrafish embryos metabolism.