THE EFFECTS OF TRICLOSAN ON HEARING DEVELOPMENT OF CYPRINODON VARIEGATUS LARVAE

The aquatic environment represents the final sink for many chemicals, including bactericidal agents. Among them Triclosan (TCS) has been shown to affect the thyroid system of teleost. Larval stages are particularly vulnerable to deleterious effects of endocrine disrupters because of potential impairment of fish development and behaviour. Thyroid hormones are critical to the development of the brain and auditory system. Thus, TCS could affect the development of the brain and hearing. The aims of this study were: to investigate hearing development in sheepshead minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus) using the ABR technique (Auditory Brainstem Response) and to investigate the effects of triclosan on hearing development. Exposure to TCS was conducted from fertilization of eggs on at concentrations likely to be found in the environment: 20, 50 and 100 μgl-1.
We characterized previously the ontogenic variation of thyroid hormones in embryos and larvae of sheepshead minnows. We observed an increase of thyroid hormones level around the 12th and the 15th day post hatching (dph), that may be associated with the transition from larval to juvenile stage during the development of this species. We concluded, that this period could be defined as a critical exposure window to pollutants. We determined hearing thresholds for sheepshead minnows of different ages. Due to the small size of larvae, first measurements were only possible at 30 dph. Audiograms showed that the hearing ability is not yet completely established at 30 dph compared to adults. So we pursued our experiments in older larvae of 40, 60, 70, and 80 dph when sexual maturity is attained. First results indicate that the hearing ability considerably improves between 50 and 60 dph. The effects of TCS in this development have yet to be determined but will be fully discussed. This study proposes an interesting new endpoint in thyroid disruption research.