Waves of follicle development, growth and degeneration in adult ovary of zebrafish (Danio rerio) on chronic exposure to environmental estrogens in laboratory

• Published in: Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2022-06, Vol.110, p.31-38
• Main Authors: Katti, Pancharatna A., Goundadkar, Basavaraj B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atresia; Chronic-exposure; Ovary-Follicular-dynamics; Vitellogenesis; Xenoestrogens; Zebrafish
• ISSN: 0890-6238; 1873-1708
• DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2022.03.009

Patterns of quantitative production of follicles, their growth, and degeneration in the adult ovary of zebrafish (Danio rerio) in response to long-term (80 days) exposure to environmental estrogens (EE) in the laboratory, were studied. Experimentally naive female D. rerio procured from fish farm were acclimated to the laboratory (natural temperature, 26 ± 1° C, photoperiod, 11.30 L:12.30 D) for two weeks and divided into 10 groups. Each group (n = 20) was housed in a separate glass aquarium containing 10 L of conditioned water (physico-chemical parameters maintained within the permissible range prescribed for zebrafish) along with either 5 ng or 10 ng/L of 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) or diethylstilbestrol (DES) or bisphenol A (BPA) or estradiol 17-β (positive control) or water with no chemical (negative control). All experimental fish were fed twice daily on commercial pellets (ad libitum) supplemented with Artemia nauplius, the exposure was semi-static and chemical residues in media samples were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). Exposure of fish to estrogens increased (p