Toxicological signature for thyroid endocrine disruption of dichlorooctylisothiazolinone in zebrafish larvae

Dichlorooctylisothiazolinone (DCOIT), which is one of the isothiazolinone preservatives, is applied to water-based adhesives in food packaging. This study investigated the effects of DCOIT on the embryonic growth and thyroid endocrine system using zebrafish. Organism-level (hatchability, survival, and growth), hormone-level (triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4)), gene-level (genes associated with the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis), and microRNA-level (microRNAs related to thyroid endocrine disruption) endpoints were measured. Significant rise in embryonic coagulation and delayed hatching (>= 0.3 mu g/L), and decreased larval length (30 mu g/L) were observed in fish exposed to DCOIT. Lower contents of T3 and T4 were observed after exposure to DCOIT, which was accompanied by the upregulation of genes associated with the thyrotropin releasing hormone and thyroid stimulating hormone and the downregulation of genes associated with the thyroid hormone receptors and deiodination. Strong influence of DCOIT on dre-miR-193b and -499 may be a critical mechanism to inhibit transcription of tr alpha a and tr beta, which in turn may affect thyroid hormones and development of the organism. Our findings suggest that hypothyroidism induced by the exposure to DCOIT is potentially associated with genetic and microRNA-level changes, which eventually affects development.

Automated summary

This study investigated the effects of the isothiazolinone preservative DCOIT on the embryonic growth and thyroid endocrine system in zebrafish. Exposure to DCOIT led to significant coagulation and delayed hatching in fish embryos, as well as decreased larval length. Lower levels of thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) were observed, accompanied by changes in gene expression and microRNA levels related to the thyroid axis. The findings suggest that DCOIT-induced hypothyroidism may be associated with genetic and microRNA-level changes affecting development.