Journal
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
Volume 801, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149646
Keywords
Tributyltin; Antioxidant defense; Immune system; Seahorse; Liver
Categories
Funding
- Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences [XDB42030204]
- Key Deployment Project of Centre for Ocean Mega-Research of Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences [COMS2020Q14]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [41825013, 42006109]
- Guangdong Special Support Program of Youth Scientific and Technological Innovation [2017TQ04Z269]
- Guangdong Special Support Program of Leading Scientific and Technological Innovation [2017TX04N442]
- South China Sea New Star Project, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences [NHXX2018ST0201]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The study found that exposure to TBT caused significant tin accumulation and liver damage in seahorses, affecting antioxidant defenses and immune responses. Transcriptional analysis showed upregulation of genes involved in antioxidant defense and immune responses to combat oxidative damage.
Tributyltin (TBT), an organotin compound frequently detected in the coastal environments, poses a threat to aquatic organisms. The lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus) is a vulnerable species found in nearshore water habitats. The mechanisms by which this fish responds to TBT exposure are not yet fully understood. Histological, biochemical, and transcriptional analyses were conducted, and the results showed that 60 days of exposure to 50 and 500 ng/L TBT caused significant tin accumulation and liver damage to seahorses. Antioxidant defenses and immune responses to TBT exposure in the livers of seahorses were further investigated. The enzymatic activity of superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde content increased, while catalase activity decreased. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that a series of genes involved in the antioxidant defense system were highly induced to protect the hepatic cells from oxidative damage. TBT exposure also resulted in the induction of genes associated with immune and inflammatory processes, representing a stress response to combat the adverse environmental conditions in the exposed seahorses. Furthermore, seahorses showed an increased health risk, according to the elevation of the expression of genes with tumor-promoting effects, when exposed to TBT. These findings contribute to our understanding of the adverse effects of TBT exposure on seahorses, and their potential defense mechanisms. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available