Carbamate insecticide bendiocarb induces complex embryotoxic effects, including morphological, behavioral, transcriptional, and immunological alterations in zebrafish

Ivánovics, Bence and Gazsi, Gyöngyi and Varga, Zoltán Kristóf and Staszny, Ádám and Váradi, Eszter Anna and Varga, Zsofia and Ács, András and Toth, Marta and Domokos, Apolka and Reining, Márta and Vásárhelyi, Erna and Poliska, Szilard and Kovacs, Robert and Baska, Ferenc and Filep, Zoltan and Bacsi, Attila and Kobolák, Julianna and Urbányi, Béla and Szabó, István and Müller, Tamás and Csenki, Zsolt Imre and Czimmerer, Zsolt (2025) Carbamate insecticide bendiocarb induces complex embryotoxic effects, including morphological, behavioral, transcriptional, and immunological alterations in zebrafish. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY C-TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY, 299. No. 110368. ISSN 1532-0456 (In Press)

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Abstract

The emergence and spread of vector-borne diseases necessitate the increased use of insecticides, such as carbamates, raising concerns about their potential toxicological risks to non-target organisms, including humans. Bendiocarb, frequently applied in indoor spraying operations and detected in maternal and fetal circulation, warrants particular attention for its developmental toxicity. This study aimed to assess transcriptional and phenotypic effects of sublethal bendiocarb exposure at concentrations of 0.035, 0.2, 0.4, 0.75, and 1.5mg/L, using zebrafish embryos, a vertebrate model for developmental toxicity testing. Our analyses revealed acetylcholinesterase inhibition-associated morphological and behavioral abnormalities, including reduced locomotor activity in response to both visual and tactile stimuli, as well as impaired non-associative learning. Transcriptomic analysis indicated activation of muscle, immune, and metabolic pathways, while neurodevelopmental, phototransduction, and cell proliferation processes were suppressed. Consistent with these molecular findings, structural damage was observed in the retina, skeletal muscle, and notochord. Furthermore, bendiocarb exposure disrupted neutrophil granulocyte distribution and impaired inflammatory responses. Altogether, our results provide new insights into the embryotoxic effects of bendiocarb, highlighting its potential to disrupt early vertebrate development. These findings provide mechanistic insight that may support more informed evaluations of potential public health risks associated with developmental exposure to carbamates. Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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