Tributyltin Induces the Tissue-Specific Stresses in Zebrafish, a Study in Various Tissues of Muscle, Gill and Intestine.

Abstract

Because the mechanism of tissue-specific toxicity of tributyltin (TBT) in aquatic organisms has not been explained clearly, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of chronic exposure to TBT on muscle-related energy metabolism, gill-related ATPase enzymatic system and intestine-related digestive enzymes activities in zebrafish. Male zebrafish were exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of TBT (10, 100 and 300ng/L) for 6weeks. Multiple biomarkers were measured (such as glucose, lactate, hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, ATP content, ATPases, trypsin, lipase and amylase), which reflected more serious physiological stress with increasing TBT concentrations during the experimental period. Through principal component analysis (PCA) and integrated biomarker response (IBR) analysis, the toxic effect of TBT in zebrafish was in a concentration-dependent manner. Shortly, the results of this study can provide new evidence for a comprehensive understanding of the toxic effects of TBT.