Abamectin at environmentally relevant concentrations impairs bone development in zebrafish larvae

Abamectin (ABM) is a widely used pesticide in agriculture and veterinary medicine, which primarily acts by disrupting the neurological physiology of pests, leading to their paralysis and death. Its extensive application has resulted in contamination of many natural water bodies. While the adverse effects of ABM on the growth and development of non-target organisms are well documented, its impact on bone development remains inadequately studied. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of ABM (1, 5, 25 μg/L) on early bone development in zebrafish. Our results indicated that ABM significantly affected both cartilage and bone development of zebrafish larvae, accompanied by dose-dependent increase in deformity and mortality rates, as well as exacerbated apoptosis. ABM exposure led to deformities in the ceratobranchial (cb) and hyosymplectic (hs), accompanied by significant increases in the length of the palatoquadrate (pq). Furthermore, significant decreases in the CH-CH angle, Meckel's-Meckel's angle, and Meckel's-PQ angle were noted. Even at the safe concentration of 5 μg/L (1/10 of the 96 h LC50), ABM delayed the process of bone mineralization in zebrafish larvae. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR results demonstrated that ABM induced differential gene expression associated with cartilage and bone development in zebrafish. Thus, this study provides preliminary insights into the effects and molecular mechanisms underlying ABM's impact on the bone development of zebrafish larvae and offers new evidence for a better understanding of its toxicity. [Display omitted] •Abamectin can cause bone deformities in zebrafish larvae.•Abamectin can delay bone mineralization while reducing bone mass accumulation.•Abamectin can induce apoptosis and overexpression of bone development genes.•The risk of abamectin residues in the environment cannot be ignored.