decabromodiphenyl-ethane and Abnormalities--Drug-Induced

Decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE) has been widely used as an alternative flame retardant due to the restriction or phase-out of traditional polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and is of increasing concern regarding its ubiquity, persistence, and potential adverse effects. In the present study, the toxicological effects of DBDPE were evaluated using zebrafish as an in vivo model. Upon being exposed to DBDPE-polluted sediments for a short term, it was found that the mortality and malformation of zebrafish (including edema, bent notochord, and bent tail) were not affected even at the highest concentration tested (1000.0 µg/kg dry sediment). Regarding behavioral responses, it was found that zebrafish larvae of 48 hours post fertilization (hpf) in all groups escaped successfully with a touch to the dorsal fin. However, when exposed to the highest DBDPE concentration, the larvae of 120 hpf exhibited significantly smaller distances as compared to the control. Moreover, the results of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, the expression levels of two important nerve-related genes, and the cell apoptosis all indicated that DBDPE posed low neurotoxicity in embryo-larval zebrafish. The results in this study shed some light on the potential risks of DBDPE in the real environment and highlight the application of the sediment exposure route in the future.

Topics: Abnormalities, Drug-Induced; Animals; Apoptosis; Behavior, Animal; Bromobenzenes; Geologic Sediments; Larva; Neurotoxicity Syndromes; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Zebrafish

The potential embryotoxic and teratogenic effects of decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPEthane; CASRN 84852-53-9) were evaluated in prenatal developmental studies using rats and rabbits and performed in accordance with international guidelines and Good Laboratory Practice standards. Preliminary dose-range-finding studies were conducted, which indicated doses up to 1,250 mg/kg-day were well tolerated by both rats and rabbits.. For the developmental studies, animals were administered DBDPEthane via gavage at dosage levels of 0, 125, 400, or 1,250 mg/kg-day from gestation day (GD) 6 through 15 for rats and GDs 6 through 18 for rabbits. All female rats and rabbits were sacrificed on GD 20 or GD 29, respectively, and subjected to cesarean section. Fetuses were individually weighed, sexed, and examined for external, visceral and skeletal abnormalities.. No treatment-related mortality, abortions, or clinical signs of toxicity were observed during the study. Body weights, body weight gain, and food consumption were not affected by treatment. No significant internal abnormalities were observed in either species on necropsy. Cesarean section parameters were comparable between control and treated groups. No treatment-induced malformations or developmental variations occurred.. Based on these results, no evidence of maternal toxicity, developmental toxicity, or teratogenicity was observed in rats or rabbits treated with DBDPEthane at dosage levels up to 1,250 mg/kg-day.

Topics: Abnormalities, Drug-Induced; Administration, Oral; Animals; Bromobenzenes; Embryo, Mammalian; Embryonic Development; Female; Fetal Development; Flame Retardants; Maternal Exposure; No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level; Pregnancy; Rabbits; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Teratogens