Ecotoxicological effects of transgenic mCry1Ac maize (BT799) on zebrafish

Abstract

The safety of feed derived from genetically modified (GM) crops is one of the focuses of attention. To evaluate the ecotoxicological effects of transgenic mCry1Ac maize (BT799) on fish, zebrafish (Danio rerio) were fed extruded feeds containing either 20% GM maize (GMF) or its parental control maize (PF), GM maize meal (GMM) or its parental control maize meal (PMM), and a control commercial feed (CF), respectively. The growth performance, histopathology, reproduction, antioxidant enzyme activity and mRNA expression levels of sensitive protein in the liver were investigated over the course of a 98-day feeding trial. The results showed that transgenic mCry1Ac maize had no significant effect on growth, histopathology of the liver, brain and intestinal tract, fecundity, hatching rate of fertilized eggs, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) activity, mRNA expression levels of SOD and CAT, or heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and vitellogenin (VTG) in the liver. However, zebrafish fed the commercial feed exhibited significantly greater weight, longer length, and higher specific growth rate than those fed feeds (GMF and PF) and maize meals (GMM and PMM). The hatching rate of zebrafish in the feed groups was significantly lower than that of the maize meal groups and the commercial feed group. The mRNA transcriptional levels of VTG were significantly higher in the liver for the feed groups (3.85±0.76) than that for the maize meal groups (1.60±0.56). These results suggest that transgenic mCry1Ac maize has no ecotoxicological effects on zebrafish. However, the differences in nutrient composition and palatability between the extruded experimental feeds and the commercial feed would lead to significant diffe-rences in some parameters.