Bisphenol F induces liver-gut alteration in zebrafish

The unease of consumers with bisphenol A has led to the increased industrial usage of bisphenol F (BPF), which is a new hazard to environmental health. Here, zebrafish were exposed to three BPF concentrations (0.5, 5, and 50 mu g/L) from the embryonic stage for 180 days. Results showed that zebrafish body length and weight decreased and hepatosomatic index values increased, even at environmentally relevant concentration. Histological analysis iden-tified the occurrence of hepatic fibrosis and steatosis in 5 and 50 mu g/L groups, which indicated the liver injury caused by BPF. Based on the untargeted metabolomics results, a dose-dependent variation in the effects of BPF on liver metab-olism was found, and amino acids, purines and one carbon metabolism were the main affected processes in the 0.5, 5, and 50 mu g/L treatments, respectively. At the same time, BPF induced a shift in intestinal microbiome composition, in-cluding decreased abundance of Erysipelotrichaceae, Rhodobacteraceae and Gemmobacter. In addition, the correlation analysis suggested an association between gut microbiome changes and affected hepatic metabolites after BPF expo -sure. These findings indicate that a liver-gut alteration is induced by long-term BPF exposure.

Automated summary

This study found that long-term exposure to BPF can lead to liver-gut alteration and metabolic changes in zebrafish. The effects of BPF on liver metabolism were dose-dependent, affecting amino acid, purine, and one carbon metabolism in the 0.5, 5, and 50 mu g/L treatments, respectively. In addition, BPF also caused a shift in intestinal microbiome composition.