Benzophenones are widely used as organic UV filters in many personal care products, especially sunscreen, to protect humans from UV radiation. The increasing use of benzophenone class UV filters has raised concerns about the potential effects on the aquatic environment. These organic UV filters are designed to absorb UV light. However, to date, studies have not considered the potential of UV light to potentiate the toxicity of benzophenones in aquatic organisms. In this study using zebrafish embryos, we assessed the median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) and sub-lethal effects of benzophenone and oxybenzone either under natural levels of UV light or under laboratory light conditions. The LC₅₀ value in zebrafish embryos under both light conditions of oxybenzone was lower when compared to benzophenone. Interestingly, UV light significantly decreased the LC₅₀ values (increased toxicity) of both benzophenone and oxybenzone. The presence of UV light induced a significant increase in hydroxyl radical formation and this was reflected in both increased SOD activity and lipid peroxidation in oxybenzone treated groups. Exposure to either benzophenone or oxybenzone also delayed hatching between 60 and 96 hpf when comparing to the control group while UV exposure further delayed hatching only in oxybenzone-exposed embryos. The results demonstrate the importance of involving UV light in toxicity testing for UV filters and provide much-need information on the UV-induced toxicity of benzophenone and oxybenzone under ecologically realistic conditions.

在许多个人护理产品（尤其是防晒霜）中，苯甲酮被广泛用作有机紫外线过滤剂，以保护人体免受紫外线辐射。二苯甲酮类紫外线过滤器的使用日益增加，引起了人们对水生环境潜在影响的担忧。这些有机紫外线滤光片旨在吸收紫外线。但是，迄今为止，研究还没有考虑过紫外线增强水生生物中二苯甲酮毒性的潜力。在使用斑马鱼胚胎的这项研究中，我们评估了在自然紫外线水平下或在实验室光照条件下，二苯甲酮和氧苯甲酮的中值致死浓度（LC ₅₀）和亚致死作用。LC ₅₀与二苯甲酮相比，在氧联苯酮的两种光照条件下，斑马鱼胚胎中的Sn值均较低。有趣的是，紫外线大大降低了LC ₅₀苯甲酮和氧苯甲酮的毒性值（增加的毒性）。紫外光的存在导致羟基自由基形成的显着增加，这反映在氧苯宗处理组的SOD活性增加和脂质过氧化反应中。与对照组相比，暴露于二苯甲酮或羟苯甲酮也将孵化延迟在60至96 hpf之间，而紫外线暴露则进一步延迟仅在暴露于乙氧苯酮的胚胎中进行孵化。结果表明，在紫外线过滤器的毒性测试中加入紫外线非常重要，并提供了在生态现实条件下紫外线对二苯甲酮和氧苯甲酮的毒性所急需的信息。