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Depleted Uranium Disturbs Immune Parameters in Zebrafish, Danio rerio: An Ex Vivo/In Vivo Experiment

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Abstract

In this study, we investigated the effects of depleted uranium (DU), the byproduct of nuclear enrichment of uranium, on several parameters related to defence system in the zebrafish, Danio rerio, using flow cytometry. Several immune cellular parameters were followed on kidney leucocytes: cell proportion, cell mortality, phagocytosis activity and associated oxidative burst and lysosomal membrane integrity (LMI). Effects of DU were tested ex vivo after 17 h of contact between DU and freshly isolated leucocytes from 0 to 500 µg DU/L. Moreover, adult zebrafish were exposed in vivo during 3 days at 20 and 250 µg DU/L. Oxidative burst results showed that DU increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) basal level and therefore reduced ROS stimulation index in both ex vivo and in vivo experiments. ROS PMA-stimulated level was also increased at 250 µg DU/L in vivo only. Furthermore, a decrease of LMI was detected after in vivo experiments. Cell mortality was also decreased at 20 µg DU/L in ex vivo experiment. However, phagocytosis activity was not modified in both ex vivo and in vivo experiments. A reduction of immune-related parameters was demonstrated in zebrafish exposed to DU. DU could therefore decrease the ability of fish to stimulate its own immune system which could, in turn, enhance the susceptibility of fish to infection. These results encourage the development and the use of innate immune analysis by flow cytometry in order to understand the effects of DU and more generally radionuclides on fish immune system and response to infectious diseases.

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Acknowledgments

Dr C Adam-Guillermin is acknowledged for allowing the work at the Laboratory of Ecotoxicology of Radionuclides (IRSN, Cadarache, France). Dr S Betoulle, O Geffard and JM Porcher are acknowledged for allowing venue of A Bado-Nilles at IRSN in order to participate to the experiments. V Camilleri and S Frelon are acknowledged for their help for water analyses. This work was partly supported by the ENVIRHOM research program supported by the Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN). We also acknowledge the financial support of the Post-Grenelle Program 190 (DEVIL program) of the French Ministry for Ecology and Sustainable Development.

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  1. Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN), PRP-ENV, SERIS, LECO, Centre de Cadarache, Bât 186, B.P. 3, 13115, Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France

    Béatrice Gagnaire

  2. UMR-I 02 (INERIS-Université Reims Champagne-Ardenne Université du Havre), SEBIO Stress environnementaux et Biosurveillance des milieux aquatiques, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Campus Moulin de la Housse, BP 1039, 51687, REIMS cedex 2, France

    Anne Bado-Nilles

  3. UMR-I 02 (INERIS-Université Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Université du Havre) SEBIO Stress environnementaux et Biosurveillance des milieux aquatiques, Institut National de l’Environnement Industriel et des Risques (INERIS), Unité d’écotoxicologie in vitro et in vivo, B.P. 2, 60550, Verneuil-en-Halatte, France

    Anne Bado-Nilles & Wilfried Sanchez

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  1. Béatrice Gagnaire
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  2. Anne Bado-Nilles
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Correspondence to Béatrice Gagnaire.

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Gagnaire, B., Bado-Nilles, A. & Sanchez, W. Depleted Uranium Disturbs Immune Parameters in Zebrafish, Danio rerio: An Ex Vivo/In Vivo Experiment. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 67, 426–435 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-014-0022-x

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