ISSN 2320-5407 International Journal of Advanced Research (2015), Volume 3, Issue 12, 498 – 504 498 Journal homepage: http://www.journalijar.com INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED RESEARCH RESEARCH ARTICLE “AnEvaluation of Lead (Pb) Toxicity in Developing Zebrafish(Daniorerio) Embryos” Radhika Tendulkar 1* , Karina Chaudhari 2 , Andrea Fernandes 3 , Prashant Ratnaparkhi 4 . 1.&4. Assistant Professors, Department of Life Science and Biochemistry, St. Xavier’s College Autonomous, Mumbai, INDIA. 2.&3. Research Scholars, Department of Life Science and Biochemistry, St. Xavier’s College Autonomous, Mumbai, INDIA. Manuscript Info Abstract Manuscript History: Received: 12 October 2015 Final Accepted: 25 November 2015 Published Online: December 2015 Key words: Zebrafish, Embryo, Lead, Toxicity, Development *Corresponding Author Radhika Tendulkar Lead (Pb) toxicity is known to cause an array of defects including developmental, cellular and neurological damage. Although numerous studies have attempted to characterize the mechanism underlying lead toxicity, the exact molecular targets remain unclear.Additionally, there is a discrepancy among different studies regarding the concentrations of lead at which developmental defects arise. The present study was conducted to characterize the developmental malformations induced in Zebrafish embryos following a brief exposure to lead. The study also attempted to identify changes in protein profiles in Zebrafish embryos following lead exposure to identify putative molecular targets of lead toxicity. Embryos were treated with varying concentrations of lead (100ppb,500ppb, 1000ppb) at 5 hours post fertilization (hpf) until 24hpf. Morhological observations of various developmental parameters such as embryo viability, hatching rate, heart beats, eye diameter, straightening of body axis were carried out at 48hpf, 72hpf and 96hpf. Proteins extracted from embryos at these stages were subjected to SDS-PAGE and silver staining to observe changes in protein band patterns following lead treatment. An increase in hatching rate, heart beats and eye diameter was notedat 48hpf following treatment. Lead treatment was also seen to induce subtle changes in electrophoretic protein band patterns as compared to controls. Copy Right, IJAR, 2015,. All rights reserved INTRODUCTION The desirable characteristics of lead - a malleable heavy metal resistant to corrosion - have resulted in its extensive use, especially in building construction, batteries, piping, paints, solders etc. for the past several millennia and it continues to remain a ubiquitous metal even today. Studies in the past two decades have established that lead is an environmental pollutant that is known to cause an array of defects including developmental, cellular and neurological (reviewed in Kali and Flora, 2005)The effects of lead toxicity are more severe upon exposure at very early stages of development (Xing et al., 2009). Thus the acceptable dose levels for lead in adults do not hold true for children, where lead produces lasting neurological damage at doses which are well below those that produce toxicity in adults (Rodier, 2004). Of most concern among the effects of low-level Pb exposure is the occurrence of reduced cognitive capacity in children exposed early in life (Bellinger et al., 1991). Lead is a potent neurotoxin that damages the nervous system and causes brain disorders (Hsiang and Diaz, 2011). Alterations in the properties of glutamatergic, cholinergic, and dopaminergic neurotransmitter function and signal transduction have been reported(Bielarczyk et al., 1994; Lasley and Gilbert, 2002; Fortune and Lurie, 2009)wherein Pb exposure leads to perturbation in the GABAergic and glutamatergic systems in adult rat brains (Struzynska and Sulkowski, 2004).