Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Morphological and Functional Alterations of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Liver after Exposure to Two Ecologically Relevant Concentrations of Lead

Rachele Macirella
ORCID logo ,
Vittoria Curcio
,
Abdalmoiz I. M. Ahmed
,
Federica Talarico
,
Settimio Sesti
,
Enrique Paravani
,
Lucia Odetti
,
Marcello Mezzasalma
,
Elvira Brunelli
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 25 May 2023 / Approved: 26 May 2023 / Online: 26 May 2023 (10:11:45 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Macirella, R.; Curcio, V.; Ahmed, A.I.M.; Talarico, F.; Sesti, S.; Paravani, E.; Odetti, L.; Mezzasalma, M.; Brunelli, E. Morphological and Functional Alterations in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Liver after Exposure to Two Ecologically Relevant Concentrations of Lead. Fishes 2023, 8, 342. Macirella, R.; Curcio, V.; Ahmed, A.I.M.; Talarico, F.; Sesti, S.; Paravani, E.; Odetti, L.; Mezzasalma, M.; Brunelli, E. Morphological and Functional Alterations in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Liver after Exposure to Two Ecologically Relevant Concentrations of Lead. Fishes 2023, 8, 342.

Abstract

Lead (Pb) is a non-essential, highly toxic, and persistent element widely recognised as one of the most concerning pollutants, and it is listed in the Priority List of Hazardous Substances. Widespread environmental contamination from Pb is a serious issue for human health and wildlife. The liver, a key compartment for metal detoxification and excretion, is also the organ in which Pb mainly accumulates in fish. Herein, we investigated for the first time the morphological and functional injuries induced in zebrafish (Danio rerio) liver by two very low and environmentally relevant concentrations of Pb (2.5 and 5 μg/L) after 48, 96, and 192 hours of exposure. We showed significant histological alterations in all the exposed samples, also demonstrating that the extent of injuries increased with dose and exposure time. The most common modifications observed were congestion of blood vessels and sinusoids, cytoplasmic vacuolizations, parenchyma dyschromia, and macrophage proliferation. Pb administration also resulted in a significant increase in lipid content and the upregulation of key genes involved in metal detoxification (mtf1) and the defensive response against oxidative stress (sod1 and cat). We showed that even very low doses of Pb can disrupt liver morphology and function.

Keywords

lead; liver; molecular biomarkers; morphological biomarkers; MTs; SOD; CAT

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Animal Science, Veterinary Science and Zoology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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