STUDYING THE EFFECTS OF FLUORIDE EXPOSURE ON CARDIAC FUNCTION IN ZEBRAFISH (DANIO RERIO)
Róbert Kovács*, Gyöngyi Gazsi, Dóra Bencsik, Katalin Bakos, Ferenc Baska, György Grosz, Tamás Grosz, Béla Urbányi, Zsolt Csenki
Department of Aquaculture, Institute of Environmental and Landscape Management, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Szent István University Pater K. Street 1. H-2100 Gödöllő (Hungary)
Kovacs.Robert@mkk.szie.hu
In the last few decades the effects of fluoride have been well-studied in many organisms. In mammalian models it was found that long-term fluoride exposure changes the ECG profile, prolongation of the P-Q and Q-T intervals were detected. Our aim was to study the effects of chronic fluoride exposure on adult zebrafish and to find out if these effects are similar to those found in mammals.
Fish were treated with 50 ppm, 100 ppm and 200 ppm NaF prior to the ECG measurement. Solutions were changed twice a week during the 3 months study. ECG was measured monthly, for data acquisition and analysis the newly developed zebrafish ECG measurement system (EXPERIMETRIA Ltd.) and the ADVANCE HAEMOSYS haemodynamic software were used. To complete our results, short- term effects of fluoride to heart rate were studied on zebrafish embryos.
Embryos were treated with 500 ppm, 400 ppm, 200 ppm, 100 ppm, 50 ppm NaF solutions for 3 days. Embryonic heart rate (HR) was analysed on the basis of 30 second video records.
Results correlated well with the mammalian models. In the third month, significant Q-T prolongation (p<0,05) was found in the 100 ppm (414,83±91,78 ms) group. The Q-T interval increased in the 3rd month 200 ppm (473,06±188,05) group too, but it wasn’t significant. We also found significant (p<0,05) HR decrease in the 3rd month 200 ppm (101,04±29,06 1/min) group. Embryonic HR increased significantly (p<0,01) on second and third days in the 500 ppm groups.
This work was supported by GOP-1.1.1.-07/1-2008-0009 and TÁMOP-4.2.2.B-10/1-2010-0011 projects.
