Brightened body coloration in female guppies (Poecilia reticulata) serves as an in vivo biomarker for environmental androgens: The example of 17β-trenbolone

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

Yang Sun¹  Wei Wang²  Suqiu Zhang²  Xuefu Li²  Shaoguo Ru²  Hua Tian³ 

[1] College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, Shandong, China;College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, Shandong, China;Corresponding author.;

关键词: Poecilia reticulata;    Body coloration;    Environmental androgen;    17β-trenbolone;    in vivo biomarker;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

In vivo testing systems for environmental androgens are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of male-specific brightened body coloration in female guppies (Poecilia reticulata) to serve as an in vivo biomarker of environmental androgens using 17β-trenbolone as an example. The high bioaccumulation of 17β-trenbolone in the skin of female guppies suggests that it is a potential target tissue of environmental androgens. The coloration index, pigment cell ultrastructure, pigment levels, sexual attractiveness, and reproductive capability of female guppies were analyzed following 28 days of exposure to 20 ng/L, 200 ng/L, and 2000 ng/L 17β-trenbolone. Increases in the coloration index caused by 17β-trenbolone exposure were attributable to increased pteridine and melanin levels. Decreases in the sexual attractiveness, number of offspring, and survival rate of offspring suggested that the changes in body coloration translated into adverse outcomes. Finally, mRNA sequencing indicated that 17β-trenbolone increased pteridine levels by activating genomic effects of androgen receptor on xanthine dehydrogenase and increased melanin levels by exerting non-genomic effects targeting microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, tyrosinase, and tyrosinase-related protein 1 that were mediated by mitogen-activated protein kinase and calcium signaling pathways. We have derived a robust adverse outcome pathway of environmental androgens, and our findings suggest that indicators at different biological levels related to brightened body coloration in female guppies can serve as less-invasive or noninvasive in vivo biomarkers of short-term exposure to environmental androgens.

【 授权许可】

Unknown