Li Tongyao, Chen Gen, Cao Lu, Rong Weiya, Zhao Haiyan, Xiong Zijun, Liu Qing, Song Jing, Wang Weiwei, Liu Yu, Wang Xianzong, Liu Shaozhen
College of Animal Science, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, China.
College of Animal Science, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, China.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2025 Mar;247:106665. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106665. Epub 2024 Dec 16.
Polystyrene (PS) microplastics are pervasive environmental pollutants that are harmful to aquatic organisms upon degradation. The synthetic androgen 17α-methyltestosterone (MT) is an environmental endocrine-disrupting chemical. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the combined histological and molecular effects of MT and PS exposure on the liver and brain tissues of Danio rerio with focus on lipid metabolism and neural function disruption. Female D. rerio were exposed to 50 ng/L MT and 0.5 mg/L PS (5 μm in diameter) for 21 d. Histological observations, real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), and RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis were employed to assess the effects of PS and MT. These results indicated that MT and PS co-exposure caused fatty degeneration of liver cells and a significant upregulation of lipid synthesis-related genes (ACSS1, CEL, FASN, and GK5). In brain tissue, the observed effects included reduced marginal layer neuron counts, cytoplasmic loosening of central layer neurons, disordered gray matter layer cells, and vascular congestion. RNA-seq analysis further revealed significant enrichment of differentially expressed genes in the "glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism" and "neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction" signaling pathways. Thus, MT and PS co-exposure induced lipid metabolism disorders in D. rerio and influence neural signaling by altering the "neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction" pathway. These findings highlight the complex risks posed by environmental pollutants to aquatic life and provide critical insights for environmental protection and aquatic health research.
聚苯乙烯（PS）微塑料是普遍存在的环境污染物，降解时对水生生物有害。合成雄激素17α-甲基睾酮（MT）是一种环境内分泌干扰化学物质。本研究旨在系统评估MT和PS暴露对斑马鱼肝脏和脑组织的联合组织学和分子效应，重点关注脂质代谢和神经功能破坏。将雌性斑马鱼暴露于50 ng/L MT和0.5 mg/L PS（直径5μm）中21天。采用组织学观察、实时定量PCR（qPCR）和RNA测序（RNA-seq）分析来评估PS和MT的影响。这些结果表明，MT和PS共同暴露导致肝细胞脂肪变性以及脂质合成相关基因（ACSS1、CEL、FASN和GK5）显著上调。在脑组织中，观察到的影响包括边缘层神经元数量减少、中央层神经元细胞质疏松、灰质层细胞紊乱和血管充血。RNA-seq分析进一步揭示了“甘氨酸、丝氨酸和苏氨酸代谢”和“神经活性配体-受体相互作用”信号通路中差异表达基因的显著富集。因此，MT和PS共同暴露诱导了斑马鱼的脂质代谢紊乱，并通过改变“神经活性配体-受体相互作用”途径影响神经信号传导。这些发现突出了环境污染物对水生生物构成的复杂风险，并为环境保护和水生生物健康研究提供了关键见解。
