Effects of Full-cycle Exposure to Difenoconazole in Parental Zebrafish on the Liver-gut Axis of F0 and F1 Generations

Abstract

To explore the effects of long-term exposure to low-dose difenoconazole (DCZ) on lipid metabolism in the liver-gut axis, we exposed zebrafish embryos to ambient concentrations of DCZ for 120 days and comprehensively analyzed the metabolic and microbial networks of the F0 and F1 generations using biochemical, metabolomic and metagenomics approaches. The changes of biochemical indexes indicated that DCZ exposure inhibited lipid synthesis, lipolysis and lipid transport of F0 males and females. In addition, the composition of gut microbes in males and females was significantly changed, which corresponds to changes in biochemical parameters in liver, intestine and serum. Metabolome analysis showed that pathways related to amino acid metabolism, ATP-binding cassette transporters, carbohydrate metabolism, and energy metabolism were downregulated in the gut of males and females. At 120 days post-fertilization, lipid synthesis, lipolysis and lipid transport of F1 males was upregulated; the composition of microbiota and metabolome of the F1males gut was significantly altered. Overall, we found that long-term exposure to low doses of DCZ inhibited the liver-gut axis in males and females, and the liver-gut axis in F1 males were disturbed even in F1 generation without DCZ exposure.