Sublethal exposure to crude oil during embryonic development alters cardiac morphology and reduces aerobic capacity in adult fish
- 11 April 2011
- journal article
- Published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Vol. 108 (17), 7086-7090
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1019031108
Abstract
Exposure to high concentrations of crude oil produces a lethal syndrome of heart failure in fish embryos. Mortality is caused by cardiotoxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), ubiquitous components of petroleum. Here, we show that transient embryonic exposure to very low concentrations of oil causes toxicity that is sublethal, delayed, and not counteracted by the protective effects of cytochrome P450 induction. Nearly a year after embryonic oil exposure, adult zebrafish showed subtle changes in heart shape and a significant reduction in swimming performance, indicative of reduced cardiac output. These delayed physiological impacts on cardiovascular performance at later life stages provide a potential mechanism linking reduced individual survival to population-level ecosystem responses of fish species to chronic, low-level oil pollution.This publication has 37 references indexed in Scilit:
- Oil spills and fish health: exposing the heart of the matterJournal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 2010
- Herring and the “Exxon Valdez” oil spill: an investigation into historical data conflictsICES Journal of Marine Science, 2007
- Data conflicts in fishery models: incorporating hydroacoustic data into the Prince William Sound Pacific herring assessment modelICES Journal of Marine Science, 2007
- Cardiorespiratory performance during prolonged swimming tests with salmonids: a perspective on temperature effects and potential analytical pitfallsPhilosophical Transactions B, 2007
- Illuminating cardiac development: Advances in imaging add new dimensions to the utility of zebrafish geneticsSeminars in Cell & Developmental Biology, 2007
- Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor–Independent Toxicity of Weathered Crude Oil during Fish DevelopmentEnvironmental Health Perspectives, 2005
- Sensitivity of fish embryos to weathered crude oil: Part I. Low‐level exposure during incubation causes malformations, genetic damage, and mortality in larval pacific herring (Clupea pallasi)Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 1999
- Sensitivity of fish embryos to weathered crude oil: Part II. Increased mortality of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) embryos incubating downstream from weathered Exxon valdez crude oilEnvironmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 1999
- Histopathology and cytogenetic evaluation of Pacific herring larvae exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons in the laboratory or in Prince William Sound, Alaska, after the Exxon Valdez oil spillCanadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 1997
- Hematocrit in oxygen transport and swimming in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)Respiration Physiology, 1995