As an emerging environmental contaminant, di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is widely present in the aquatic environment, however, the effects and underlying mechanisms of DEHP on the aquatic organisms are poorly understood. This study systematically investigated the ecotoxicity induced by chronic exposure to environmental relevant concentrations of DEHP (0.03 mg/L, 0.1 mg/L, and 0.3 mg/L) on zebrafish brain. Results indicated that DEHP exposure significantly increased the levels of ROS and disturbance of the antioxidant enzymes activities in the brain, which may further enhance lipid peroxidation and DNA damage. Furthermore, acetylcholinesterase activity was first stimulated and inhibited by exposure to DEHP, and the antioxidant and apoptosis related genes were mainly upregulated. Risk assessment indicated that the ecotoxicity of DEHP on the zebrafish showed an “enhancement-reduction” trend as the exposure time was prolonged. Overall, these results provided new insights and useful information to ecological risk assessment and environmental management of DEHP pollution.

中文翻译：

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斑马鱼在环境相关浓度的邻苯二甲酸二（2-乙基己基）酯中的生物毒性反应

邻苯二甲酸二(2-乙基己)酯(DEHP)作为一种新兴的环境污染物，广泛存在于水生环境中，然而，DEHP对水生生物的影响和潜在机制却知之甚少。本研究系统地研究了长期暴露于环境相关浓度的 DEHP（0.03 mg/L、0.1 mg/L 和 0.3 mg/L）对斑马鱼大脑造成的生态毒性。结果表明，DEHP 暴露显着增加了 ROS 水平并扰乱了大脑中的抗氧化酶活性，这可能进一步增强了脂质过氧化和 DNA 损伤。此外，暴露于DEHP首先刺激和抑制乙酰胆碱酯酶活性，并且主要上调抗氧化和凋亡相关基因。风险评估表明，DEHP对斑马鱼的生态毒性随着暴露时间的延长呈现“增强-降低”的趋势。总体而言，这些结果为DEHP污染的生态风险评估和环境管理提供了新的见解和有用的信息。