Neurobehavioral effects of fungicides in zebrafish: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Pesticides are widely used in global agriculture to achieve high productivity levels. Among them, fungicides are specifically designed to inhibit fungal growth in crops and seeds. However, their application often results in environmental contamination, as these chemicals can persistently be detected...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2023-10, Vol.13 (1), p.18142-18142, Article 18142
Main Authors: Reis, Carlos G., Bastos, Leonardo M., Chitolina, Rafael, Gallas-Lopes, Matheus, Zanona, Querusche K., Becker, Sofia Z., Herrmann, Ana P., Piato, Angelo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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704/172/4081
Contamination
Danio rerio
Embryos
Fungicides
Heterogeneity
Humanities and Social Sciences
Larvae
Meta-analysis
multidisciplinary
Nontarget organisms
Pesticides
Reviews
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Seeds
Sensitivity analysis
Surface water
Systematic review
Zebrafish
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Summary:Pesticides are widely used in global agriculture to achieve high productivity levels. Among them, fungicides are specifically designed to inhibit fungal growth in crops and seeds. However, their application often results in environmental contamination, as these chemicals can persistently be detected in surface waters. This poses a potential threat to non-target organisms, including humans, that inhabit the affected ecosystems. In toxicologic research, the zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) is the most commonly used fish species to assess the potential effects of fungicide exposure, and numerous and sometimes conflicting findings have been reported. To address this, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on the neurobehavioral effects of fungicides in zebrafish. Our search encompassed three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science), and the screening process followed predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria. We extracted qualitative and quantitative data, as well as assessed reporting quality, from 60 included studies. Meta-analyses were performed for the outcomes of distance traveled in larvae and adults and spontaneous movements in embryos. The results revealed a significant overall effect of fungicide exposure on distance, with a lower distance traveled in the exposed versus control group. No significant effect was observed for spontaneous movements. The overall heterogeneity was high for distance and moderate for spontaneous movements. The poor reporting practices in the field hindered a critical evaluation of the studies. Nevertheless, a sensitivity analysis did not identify any studies skewing the meta-analyses. This review underscores the necessity for better-designed and reported experiments in this field.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-45350-6