Persistent increase in ecto‑5′‑nucleotidase activity from encephala of adult zebrafish exposed to ethanol during early development

The objective of this research was to evaluate if the ecto‑5′‑nucleotidase and adenosine deaminase activities and gene expression of adult zebrafish exposed to 1% ethanol during early development could be part of the long-lasting targets of ethanol. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to 1% ethanol in two distinct developmental phases: gastrula/segmentation (5–24 h post-fertilization) or pharyngula (24–48 h post-fertilization). At the end of three months, after checking for morphological outcomes, the evaluation of enzymatic activity and gene expression was performed. Exposure to ethanol did not promote gross morphological defects; however, a significant decrease in the body length was observed (17% in the gastrula and 22% in the pharyngula stage, p < 0.0001). Ethanol exposure during the gastrula/segmentation stage promoted an increase in ecto‑5′‑nucleotidase activity (39.5%) when compared to the control/saline group (p < 0.0001). The ecto‑5′‑nucleotidase gene expression and the deamination of adenosine exerted by ecto and cytosolic adenosine deaminase were not affected by exposure to ethanol in both developmental stages. HPLC experiments did not identify differences in adenosine concentration on the whole encephala of adult animals exposed to ethanol during the gastrula stage or on control animals (p > 0.05). Although the mechanism underlying these findings requires further investigation, these results indicate that ethanol exposure d...

Source: Neurotoxicology and Teratology - October 24, 2018 Category: Toxicology Source Type: research