Abstract
Copper has demonstrated utility in multiple industrial applications for its high conductivity and antibacterial/antiviral properties. However, numerous findings have suggested potential hazards regarding pathogenesis. This study was conducted to demonstrate the application of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a cost-effective biological assay to detect environmental pollution, i.e., heavy metal of coins. We demonstrated that zebrafish larvae exposed to copper-plated coins or copper (II) ion solution elicited a consistent phenotype of early mortality without signs of morphological defects in surviving individuals. Copper ion solution served as a standard to (1) corroborate copper exposure from coins and (2) demonstrate proportional increase in early mortality phenotype according to concentration. We found that 5 μM CuSO4·5H2O was the minimal concentration to elicit the observed phenotypes from copper toxicity. This study aimed to demonstrate how a simple protocol involving wild-type zebrafish larvae could provide an economical solution to water monitoring in areas of rapid technological advancement and increasing environmental concerns, especially in communities without access to expensive analytical methods.
Highlights
With the steady and rapid rise of the global electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) market, heavy metal pollution is coming to the forefront as a major environmental issue [1]
Our study demonstrates how normal zebrafish larvae can be implemented as a means of water quality assessment based on counting the number of expired larvae
We found premature death as the main phenotype of zebrafish larvae exposed to copper-plated coins or copper (II) ion solution
Summary
With the steady and rapid rise of the global electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) market, heavy metal pollution is coming to the forefront as a major environmental issue [1]. The US Environmental Protection Agency classified copper as an antimicrobial agent in 2008 and limited acceptable levels of copper to 1.3 mg/L in drinking water [5] Studies, such as one by Sparks and Schreurs, have reported that, even at low concentrations (0.12 mg/L), copper added to the drinking water of rabbits could lead to learning deficits and induction of amyloid-β plaques in the brain (as those seen in Alzheimer’s disease patients) [6]. It follows that regular surveillance of aquatic resources is an important step to ensure the safety of water quality; current analytical methods such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), providing precision and accuracy, are generally cost-intensive, complex, and inaccessible for the majority of underdeveloped communities. Such a BioMed Research International biological assay could serve as an effective preliminary measure to assess quality of water in developing communities
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