Lethal and Sub-lethal Effects of Nitrofurantoin on Zebrafish Early-Life Stages

• Published in: Water, air, and soil pollution air, and soil pollution, 2020-02, Vol.231 (2), Article 54
• Main Authors: de Oliveira, Reginaldo Carlyle Silva, Oliveira, Rhaul, Rodrigues, Maria Augusta Carvalho, de Farias, Natália Oliveira, Sousa-Moura, Diego, Nunes, Nilma Almeida, Andrade, Thayres S., Grisolia, Cesar Koppe
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Animal embryos; Antibiotics; Aquatic environment; Aquatic microorganisms; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Biomarkers; Bladder; Catalase; Cholinesterase; Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts; Danio rerio; Dehydrogenase; Dehydrogenases; Earth and Environmental Science; Embryos; Environment; Environmental monitoring; Exposure; Fish; Fish populations; Freshwater fishes; Glutathione; Glutathione transferase; Health aspects; Hydrogeology; L-Lactate dehydrogenase; Lactate dehydrogenase; Lactic acid; Larvae; Lethal effects; Long-term effects; Microorganisms; Mortality causes; Nitrofurantoin; Soil Science & Conservation; Swim bladder; Toxicity; Toxicity tests; Water Quality/Water Pollution; Zebrafish
• ISSN: 0049-6979; 1573-2932
• DOI: 10.1007/s11270-020-4414-4

Antibiotics are among the most extensively used pharmaceuticals worldwide. They are natural or synthetic drugs with the capacity to kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms. Several antibiotics have been detected in aquatic environments, but little is known about their effects on non-target organisms, especially fish. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the antibiotic nitrofurantoin (NTF) using zebrafish embryos as model organisms. To assess mortality and development effects, the embryos were exposed to 0, 4, 9, 44, 100, 223 and 500 mg/L of NTF. A sub-lethal range of concentrations (0, 0.001, 0.02, 0.32, 5.62 and 100 mg/L) was used for biomarker analyses, namely cholinesterase, lactate dehydrogenase, glutathione S-transferase and catalase. The results indicated low toxicity of NTF to zebrafish, with a 168 h-LC 50 value of 129.2 mg/L. The main effect on development was the loss of equilibrium related to the uninflated swim bladder (168 h-EC 50  = 96.72 mg/L). Biomarker activity was induced in concentrations as low as 0.02 mg/L (cholinesterase, lactate dehydrogenase, glutathione S-transferase). Exposure to NTF induced no significant effects on zebrafish larvae behaviour. In summary, short-term exposure of zebrafish embryos to NTF induced developmental alterations only at high concentrations. However, biochemical changes occurred at lower levels of exposure, suggesting long-term effects on fish populations. Graphical Abstract