Abamectin promotes behavior changes and liver injury in zebrafish

The indiscriminate use of pesticides is a worldwide concern due to the environment contamination since it can cause deleterious effects to non-target organisms including the fishes. The effects of abamectin, a pesticide from the avermectin family, were evaluated in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) after exposure to a commercial formula commonly used in Brazil. The animals were submitted to acute (96 h) and to a short-term chronic exposure (15 days) of distinct concentrations of abamectin. LC50 was determined and a histological study followed by an immunohistochemistry analysis for P-gp and HSP70 identification were performed on livers of the animals submitted to the acute and chronic treatment, respectively. Moreover, behavior patterns were observed daily in both trials. A LC50 value of 105.68 μg/L was determined. The histological analysis revealed a morphological alteration of the hepatocytes, glycogen accumulation, degeneration, and disorganization of the cytoplasm, and a pyknotic, irregular, and laterally located nuclei. The immunohistochemistry for HSP70 and P-gp showed strong staining in the hepatocytes of the control groups and progressive decrease as the concentration of abamectin increased. Changes were observed in body posture, movement around the aquarium, opercular activity, body color and search for food in the groups treated with abamectin. The results presented suggest that abamectin can affect the behavioral pattern of the animals, promote morphological changes, and decrease the expression of HSP70 and P-gp in zebrafish liver.