Skip Navigation
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document
Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document

Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: The chlorinated AHR ligand 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) promotes reactive oxygen species (ROS) production during embryonic development in the killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus).

Authors: Arzuaga, Xabier; Wassenberg, Deena; Di Giulio, Richard; Elskus, Adria

Published In Aquat Toxicol, (2006 Jan 5)

Abstract: Exposure to dioxin-like chemicals that activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) can result in increased cellular and tissue production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Little is known of these effects during early fish development. We used the fish model, Fundulus heteroclitus, to determine if the AHR ligand and pro-oxidant 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) can increase ROS production during killifish development, and to test a novel method for measuring ROS non-invasively in a living organism. The superoxide-sensitive fluorescent dye, dihydroethidium (DHE), was used to detect in ovo ROS production microscopically in developing killifish exposed to PCB126 or vehicle. Both in ovo CYP1A activity (ethoxyresorufin-o-deethylase, EROD) and in ovo ROS were induced by PCB126. In ovo CYP1A activity was inducible by PCB126 concentrations as low as 0.003 nM, with maximal induction occurring at 0.3 nM PCB126. These PCB126 concentrations also significantly increased in ovo ROS production in embryonic liver, ROS being detectable as early as 5 days post-fertilization. These data demonstrate that the pro-oxidant and CYP1A inducer, PCB126, increases both CYP1A activity and ROS production in developing killifish embryos. The superoxide detection assay (SoDA) described in this paper provides a semi-quantitative, easily measured, early indicator of altered ROS production that can be used in conjunction with simultaneous in ovo measurements of CYP1A activity and embryo development to explore functional relationships among biochemical, physiological and developmental responses to AHR ligands.

PubMed ID: 16289341 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Animals; Bladder/chemistry; Bladder/metabolism; Comparative Study; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1/analysis; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1/biosynthesis; Embryo, Nonmammalian/chemistry; Embryo, Nonmammalian/drug effects*; Embryo, Nonmammalian/metabolism; Environmental Exposure; Enzyme Tests/methods; Enzyme Tests/veterinary; Female; Fundulidae/embryology*; Liver/chemistry; Liver/metabolism; Male; Polychlorinated Biphenyls/toxicity*; Reactive Oxygen Species/analysis; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism*; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.; Sensitivity and Specificity; Time Factors; Water Pollutants, Chemical/toxicity

Back
to Top