Evaluation of toxic effects induced by cigarette butt leachate on Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

• Grant number: 23/17632-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Toxicological Analysis
• Principal Investigator: Lilian Cristina Pereira
• Grantee: Emanuelle Gomes de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Cigarette Butts (BCs) are composed of plasticized and compressed cellulose acetate, surrounded by a layer of paper. Due to the acetate, butts do not decompose naturally, as they need a deacetylation step to do so. Several studies indicate the toxicity of this urban waste, which is commonly discarded on the ground after smoking, making it a serious environmental contaminant that can affect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. However, there is still a lot to understand about the adverse effects of diuron on the different animal species that are exposed to it so that an adequate interspecies extrapolation can be made and support the assessment of the risks to which the human species is eventually subject. The present study aims to elucidate the effects of cigarette butt leachate on a model organism, Zebrafish, which will be evaluated from the early stages of embryogenesis. Specific objectives of the project are to evaluate cigarette butt leachate in Zebrafish for: 1) lethality (LC50), sublethality (EC50) and teratogenicity (IT = LC50/EC50), 2) damage to embryonic and larval development, 2) biomarkers biochemicals of neurotoxicity and oxidative stress. Thus, the present project aims to carry out an integrated approach to the toxicity induced by cigarette butt leachate in an experimental system of relatively recent development, to support decision-making in relation to its use, related to the safety of these compounds with a view to human health. This project constitutes a cooperation between the Faculty of Medicine of Botucatu (FMB) and the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (FCA), both at UNESP in Botucatu/SP.