Nephrotoxicity assessments of benzo(a)pyrene during zebrafish embryogenesis

Benzo(a)pyrene is a chemical produced during the process of making fried, roasted, and smoked foods. It remains unclear whether benzo(a)pyrene affects the early development of human organs. In this study, we used the transgenic zebrafish line Tg(wt1b:GFP) as a model to assess benzo(a)pyrene-induced kidney malformation. By soaking zebrafish embryos in benzo(a)pyrene at various doses (2, 20, and 200 ppb), only a minor effect on the survival rate was detected (0 ppb: 97.8 ± 1.9 %; 2–200 ppb: 89.1 ± 5.8–91.5 ± 8.3 %). However, benzo(a)pyrene significantly affected the development of the kidney (malformation rates ranges from 50.0 ± 3.5 to 77.4 ± 5.3 %). Various abnormalities, such as unusual curving of pronephric tubes, swollen glomerulus, and incomplete development of pronephric ducts, were observed. This study provides a rapid and effective protocol for the evaluation of the notable effects of benzo(a)pyrene on embryonic kidney development.