The sheepshead minnow Cyprinodon variegatus as a marine vertebrate model for investigating endocrine disrupting effects of triclosan

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been a prominent model in toxicology. This freshwater species present many advantages both in identifying endpoints of toxicity and in elucidating mechanisms of toxicity. However, marine toxicologists lack such omnipotent model displaying similar advantages to zebrafish: small size, rapid breeding, and easy maintenance. We propose here the use of the sheepshead minnow Cyprinodon variegatus to define thyroid-disrupting effects of triclosan during pre-hatching development. Three females and two males were placed in each of the three breeding chambers designed for this experiment. More than 300 eggs were collected over three days and maintained in seawater with triclosan concentrations at 0, 100 ng.L-1, and 100 µg.L-1. Exposure of larvae to triclosan lasted until hatching. After hatching (six days post-spawning), 5 larvae per condition were placed in Bouin’s fixative for brain and thyroid histology. Length and body mass were measured. The body was frozen at -80oC to determine muscle thyroid hormone levels (T3 and T4), using radio-immunoassay techniques. Hatching success, in vivo observations, gross observation, thyroid hormone levels, histology will be determined and discussed in the framework of whether or not triclosan may alter thyroid metabolism during pre-hatching period of the sheepshead minnow.