A model to assess apoptotic induction in zebrafish during embryo development caused by chemicals in the water.

KELLY, J.; FERRAINA, A.; ESPINOSA, MB.

Congreso; SETAC Latin America 11th Biennial Meeting; 2015

There are more than 90 chemical substances in the drinking water, pointed by WHO as pollutants. Those contaminants are harmful to the wellness and health of human population with different severity degrees. The effects of these pollutants can be studied using zebrafish (Danio rerio) because this species has embryos with external development that depends directly on water quality. This characteristic makes zebrafish a great indicator of water quality. These fishes are being used since the fall of 1997 when the scientific community asked to include the species as a model organism for scientific research. It was pointed, twelve years ago, that the zebrafish embryo is a good model to assess particle-bound pollutants found even in soil sediments. How may the water pollutants cause harmful effects during the embryo development?. Which are the adverse biological effects that are being produced by pollutants?. Which are the consequences of the pollution, for the biological diversity and the ecosystem?. Those are some of the questions that may be answered by means of the use of the zebrafish embryo. The main objetive of this work is to determinate if there is a modification in the rate of apoptosis and proliferation caused by pollutants found in water. We analyzed the zebrafish husbandry and management in laboratory conditions. Several parameters were determined on the well being of zebrafish: behavior patterns, effect of temperature, illumination, alimentation and tricaine concentration. The adult fish are able to resist a wide range of ambient conditions. However the number of gametes and fish embryos produced was low, and probably, it was caused by suboptimal conditions (the light cycle, the temperature and the noise level). We will have to achieve an important improvement on ambient conditions to be able to increase the production of embryos for the advance with toxicological testing.