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Erythrosine Induces Teratogenic Effects Via Activation of ROS Biogenesis in Zebrafish Embryos

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Abstract

The xanthene class of Erythrosine B (ErB) is a well-recognized color additive that has been used in drugs, foods and cosmetics. ErB is described as inhibitors of protein–protein interaction and is toxic to reproductive and developmental processes. However, the available toxicological information was inconclusive to access the potential risk of ErB to aquatic and other living organisms. Hence, in this study, we investigated the toxicological impacts of ErB by utilizing zebrafish embryos as model organisms. The developmental deformities including survival, hatching, heart rate, malformation and histological changes were evaluated at specific time intervals (12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84 and 96 hpf), and the oxidative stress markers [catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)] were also measured to ascertain the relationship between ErB and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The results depict that ErB was found to exert a concentration-dependent (1, 10, 50, 100, 1000 g mL−1) toxicity to zebrafish embryos by reducing the survival (45.3 ± 11.7%), hatching (45 ± 11.12%) and heart rate (49.4 ± 5.2% at 60 hpf) along with significantly induced malformation at 96 hpf. Moreover, the activities of antioxidant enzyme levels (CAT, SOD, GST and GPx) were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced in ErB at 1000 µg mL−1 exposed embryos which clearly stating the generation of ROS by ErB. Similarly, morphology and histological patterns further validate that ErB was found to induce severe abnormalities to zebrafish embryos and/or larvae in a dose-dependent manner. Hence, our preliminary findings show the evidence on the toxicological impacts of food additive ErB against developmental stages of zebrafish embryos through its ROS-mediated pro-oxidant effects.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge our colleagues in the zebrafish field for their collective contributions, with special thanks to all members of Elangovan Lab. We appreciate Dr. Arunachalam Muthaiyan, Division of Arts and Science, University of New Mexico – Gallup, Gallup, NM 87301, USA for critical reading of the manuscript. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public or commercial sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, School of Biosciences, Periyar University, Salem, Tamil Nadu, 636011, India

    Dharmar Manimaran, Krishnan Nadhiya, Thangavel Mohankumar & Namasivayam Elangovan

  2. Lab No. 2304, Lab of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biotechnology, Daegu University, Gyeongbuk, 38453, Republic of Korea

    Krishnan Manigandan

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  1. Dharmar Manimaran
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  2. Krishnan Nadhiya
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  3. Thangavel Mohankumar
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  4. Krishnan Manigandan
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  5. Namasivayam Elangovan
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Correspondence to Namasivayam Elangovan.

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Dharmar, M., Krishnan, N., Thangavel, M. et al. Erythrosine Induces Teratogenic Effects Via Activation of ROS Biogenesis in Zebrafish Embryos. Iran J Sci Technol Trans Sci 43, 763–771 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40995-018-0612-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40995-018-0612-y

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