Browsing by Author "Drastal, Meghan"

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    Developmental Exposure to Low Concentrations of Organophosphate Flame Retardants Causes Life-Long Behavioral Alterations in Zebrafish.
    (Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology, 2018-10) Glazer, Lilah; Hawkey, Andrew B; Wells, Corinne N; Drastal, Meghan; Odamah, Kathryn-Ann; Behl, Mamta; Levin, Edward D
    As the older class of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are phased out of commercial use because of findings of neurotoxicity with developmental exposure, a newer class of flame retardants have been introduced, the organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs). Presently, little is known about the potential for developmental neurotoxicity or the behavioral consequences of OPFR exposure. Our aim was to characterize the life-long neurobehavioral effects of 4 widely used OPFRs using the zebrafish model. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to 0.1% DMSO (vehicle control); or one of the following treatments; isopropylated phenyl phosphate (IPP) (0.01, 0.03, 0.1, 0.3 µM); butylphenyl diphenyl phosphate (BPDP) (0.003, 0.03, 0.3, 3 µM); 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDP) (0.03, 0.3, 1 µM); isodecyl diphenyl phosphate (IDDP) (0.1, 0.3, 1, 10 µM) from 0- to 5-days postfertilization. On Day 6, the larvae were tested for motility under alternating dark and light conditions. Finally, at 5-7 months of age the exposed fish and controls were tested on a battery of behavioral tests to assess emotional function, sensorimotor response, social interaction and predator evasion. These tests showed chemical-specific short-term effects of altered motility in larvae in all of the tested compounds, and long-term impairment of anxiety-related behavior in adults following IPP, BPDP, or EHDP exposures. Our results show that OPFRs may not be a safe alternative to the phased-out BFRs and may cause behavioral impacts throughout the lifespan. Further research should evaluate the risk to mammalian experimental models and humans.
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    The Neurobehavioral and Developmental Effects of Flame Retardants on Zebrafish
    (2017-05-08) Drastal, Meghan; Glazer, Dr Lilah
    Flame retardants are added to a large range of consumer products—including textiles, furniture, electronics and building materials—for the purpose of preventing or slowing the the spreading of fires. Human exposure to flame retardants has been shown to occur through both ingestion of indoor air and absorption of dust particles through the skin. In recent years, concern pertaining to the health and environmental implications of certain categories of flame retardants has led to the phasing out of these chemicals and replacement with alternatives, such as organophosphate (OP) flame retardants. Thus, the present study investigates whether developmental exposure to low levels of these chemicals will result in measurable behavioral effects at early or later life stages. Zebrafish eggs are exposed to flame retardant chemicals, an OP pesticide of known neurotoxicity, or a vehicle control consisting of 0.01% solution of dimethyl sulfide oxide (DMSO) for 5 days post-fertilization. After exposure, larvae swim behavior is tested. The 6-day old larvae are then transferred to aquarium water and allowed to develop normally. The adult zebrafish are tested on a battery of assessments examining anxiety-related behavior, sensorimotor integration, predatory escape, sociability, and cognitive ability. The ultimate aim is to evaluate the safety profiles of these compounds and determine whether zebrafish high throughput behavioral assays are an effective model for characterizing neurotoxicity.