Different Effects of Three Types of Water on Developmental Behaviors, Lipid Metabolism and Antioxidant Capacity of Juvenile Zebrafish

Abstract

Adolescence is an important period when people need adequate nutrition for healthy growth and development, whether from food or water. Tap water, bottled water (bottled purified water, and bottled natural water) are now the three most popular drinking waters consumed by adolescents in China. However, the constituents of them differ, which may cause different long-term health effects. In order to determine which type of water is the most beneficial regarding developmental behaviors, lipid metabolism and antioxidant capacity of juvenile zebrafish, 21 dpf (days post-fertilization) zebrafish were given these three waters separately with the same feed until 90 dpf. Results showed that zebrafish in purified water had the lowest survival rate, body weight and body length, while zebrafish in natural water and tap water had similar developmental behaviors; the highest HDL-C level and the lowest TG level were found in natural water, tap water second; and zebrafish in natural water showed the best antioxidant capacity. Thus, the best outcomes were found in natural water, which had suitable pH and proper amount of minerals, tap water also showed good performance, while purified water seemed not suitable for juvenile zebrafish.