P74 | EXPRESSION OF PISCIDIN, TLR-4, ERK2 AND P-P38 MAPK IN THE ZEBRAFISH GUT EXPOSED TO PCB-126 AND POSSIBLE PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF GINESTEIN

L. Spiccia¹, A. Miller², G.P. Lombardo¹, V. Natale¹, F. Pellicanò¹, S. Marino¹, A. Nunnari¹, A. Migliorato³, E.R. Laurian¹ | ¹Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical, and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy; ²Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy; ³Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) represent one of the main categories of persistent organic pollutants, capable of altering intestinal function and immune response. PCB-126 is a potent, immunotoxic, and bioaccumulative dioxin-like agent¹. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a model organism in the study of intestinal inflammation. The aim of our study was to evaluate the damage to the intestinal epithelium of Zebrafish (D. rerio), following exposure to PCB 126. To characterise inflammatory state, some antibodies as well as: Piscidin, TLR-4, ERK2 and p-p38 MAPK were used. Piscidin is an antimicrobial peptide found in teleost fish, active against pathogens². TLR4 plays a crucial role in intestinal inflammatory responses induced by PCB 126³. ERK2 and p-p38 are mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) involved in the innate immune response that can be activated by pro-inflammatory cytokines and stress⁴. Genistein is an isoflavone first isolated from the brooming plant Dyer’s Genista tinctoria L.⁵. Our results showed a strong expression of the tested antibodies, in the intestinal epithelium of PCB-126-exposed fish, indicating inflammation. Minor immunoreactivity has been found in treated fish with genistein and PCB-126, suggesting that genistein attenuates PCB-126-induced inflammation and preserves intestinal integrity. The preliminary results of this study demonstrate the usefulness of zebrafish as an animal model to deepen the signaling pathways involved in the intestinal inflammation caused by exposures to PCBs, moreover, it would be interesting to deepent the effects of genistein that are not well established yet⁶.