Triadimenol promotes the production of reactive oxygen species and apoptosis with cardiotoxicity and developmental abnormalities in zebrafish

Various types of fungicides, especially triazole fungicides, are used to prevent fungal diseases on farmlands. However, the developmental toxicity of one of the triazole fungicides, triadimenol, remains unclear. Therefore, we used the zebrafish animal model, a representative toxicological model, to investigate it. Triadimenol induced morphological al-terations in the eyes and body length along with yolk sac and heart edema. It also stimulated the production of reactive oxygen species and expression of inflammation-related genes and caused apoptosis in the anterior regions of zebrafish, especially in the heart. The phosphorylation levels of Akt, ERK, JNK, and p38 proteins involved in the PI3K and MAPK pathways, which are important for the development process, were also reduced by triadimenol. These changes led to malformation of the heart and vascular structures, as observed in the flk1:eGFP transgenic zebrafish models and a re-duction in the heart rate. In addition, the expression of genes associated with cardiac and vascular development was also reduced. Therefore, we elucidated the mechanisms associated with triadimenol toxicity that leads to various ab-normalities and developmental toxicity in zebrafish.

Automated summary

Various types of fungicides, including triadimenol, are used to protect crops from fungal diseases. However, the developmental toxicity of triadimenol on zebrafish is not well understood. In this study, we used the zebrafish animal model to investigate the effects of triadimenol. Triadimenol caused morphological abnormalities, increased reactive oxygen species production, inflammation-related gene expression, and apoptosis in zebrafish, especially in the heart region. It also disrupted the PI3K and MAPK signaling pathways, leading to malformation of the heart and vascular structures. These findings provide insights into the mechanisms underlying triadimenol toxicity in zebrafish.