Histopathological and proteomic responses in male Chinese rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) indicate hepatotoxicity following benzotriazole exposure

Benzotriazole (BT) and its associated derivatives are used ubiquitously in industrial processes, and can be detected in indoor temperature coolants and in chemicals designed to inhibit corrosion. This chemical has been widely detected in aquatic environments and shows some degree of environmental persistence. Evidence has shown that BT exposure can negatively affect endocrine systems and can result in neurotoxicity in fish. However, no study has examined whether this chemical exhibits hepatotoxicity in fish, and if so, what are the underlying mechanism associated with the damage. To address this knowledge gap, we measured the liver proteome of adult male Chinese rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) exposed to either 0.05, 0.5, or 5 mg/L BT for 28 days. Overall, 17 proteins were induced and 9 were reduced in abundance following BT treatment (ratio > 1.5, p < 0.05). Pathway analysis revealed that cellular processes affected by BT included xenobiotic clearance, oxidative stress response, apoptosis, and translation. Moreover, transcripts related to these toxic pathways were also significantly affected by BT. In addition, rare minnows exposed to BT showed signs of hypertrophy of hepatocytes, nuclei pyknosis, and higher levels of cellular vacuolization compared to the controls, thus these early proteomic responses in the liver may be related to pathology (i.e. adverse outcome pathway). Our data demonstrate that BT dysregulates molecular responses in the liver and tissue pathology indicative of damage. This study provides new insight into BT hepatotoxicity in Chinese rare minnow.