pH-Dependent Developmental and Behavioral Toxicity of Diethanolamine in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)
9 affiliations
- 1Centro de Genômica e Biologia Molecular, Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre 90619-900, RS, Brazil
- 2Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina e Ciências da Saúde, Escola de Medicina, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre 90610-000, RS, Brazil
- 3Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre 90619-900, RS, Brazil
- 4Laboratório de Química Industrial, Escola Politécnica, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre 90619-900, RS, Brazil
- 5Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia e Tecnologia de Materiais, Escola Politécnica, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre 90619-900, RS, Brazil
- 6Departamento de Química Inorgânica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Porto Alegre 91501-970, RS, Brazil
- 7Bioinformatics Graduate Program, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
- 8Institute for Cancer Research, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA
- 9Cancer and Cellular Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
Abstract
Amine-based compounds are used in petroleum and gas processing for CO2 capture and gas sweetening. Diethanolamine (DEA), a water-soluble alkaline compound, can alter exposure-medium physicochemical properties. Its industrial use and potential release into aquatic environments highlight the need to characterize its aquatic toxicity. However, data on DEA developmental toxicity remains limited, particularly regarding the distinction between intrinsic chemical toxicity and pH-mediated effects. This study investigated the developmental and behavioral toxicity of DEA in zebrafish (Danio rerio) under pH-adjusted and unadjusted exposure conditions to examine the contribution of exposure-medium pH to the observed effects. Acute toxicity assays determined the median lethal concentration (LC50), followed by sublethal assessments of spontaneous tail coiling, heart rate, morphology, and larval locomotor activity. Under pH-adjusted conditions, heart rate increased, indicating a sublethal effect on cardiac function. In contrast, unadjusted exposures caused a concentration-dependent increase in medium pH associated with adverse effects on survival, development, and behavior, despite no morphological abnormalities. For statistical analyses, individual measurements were averaged within each vessel, and vessel-level means were used to assess concentration–response relationships and estimate concentration–response trend rates. Responses differed between DEA-Adj and DEA-Unadj under their respective testing conditions, highlighting the importance of considering exposure-medium pH when assessing alkaline chemical toxicity. pH alterations caused by chemical releases may also contribute to adverse effects in aquatic organisms and should be considered when evaluating the environmental implications of DEA contamination.
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BibTeX
@article{jablonski2026phdependent,
title = {{pH-Dependent Developmental and Behavioral Toxicity of Diethanolamine in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)}},
author = {Camilo Alexandre Jablonski and Fabiola Bergozza Pereira and Julia Oliveira and Lucas Machado Bandeira and Talita Carneiro Brandão Pereira and Giovanna Medeiros Tavares de Oliveira and Luiza Wilges Kist and Vinícius Demétrio da Silva and Wesley Formentin Monteiro and William Lautert-Dutra and Marcus Seferin and Rosane Angélica Ligabue and Maurício Reis Bogo},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27219935},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9935},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - pH-Dependent Developmental and Behavioral Toxicity of Diethanolamine in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)
AU - Camilo Alexandre Jablonski
AU - Fabiola Bergozza Pereira
AU - Julia Oliveira
AU - Lucas Machado Bandeira
AU - Talita Carneiro Brandão Pereira
AU - Giovanna Medeiros Tavares de Oliveira
AU - Luiza Wilges Kist
AU - Vinícius Demétrio da Silva
AU - Wesley Formentin Monteiro
AU - William Lautert-Dutra
AU - Marcus Seferin
AU - Rosane Angélica Ligabue
AU - Maurício Reis Bogo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27219935
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9935
AB - Amine-based compounds are used in petroleum and gas processing for CO2 capture and gas sweetening. Diethanolamine (DEA), a water-soluble alkaline compound, can alter exposure-medium physicochemical properties. Its industrial use and potential release into aquatic environments highlight the need to characterize its aquatic toxicity. However, data on DEA developmental toxicity remains limited, particularly regarding the distinction between intrinsic chemical toxicity and pH-mediated effects. This study investigated the developmental and behavioral toxicity of DEA in zebrafish (Danio rerio) under pH-adjusted and unadjusted exposure conditions to examine the contribution of exposure-medium pH to the observed effects. Acute toxicity assays determined the median lethal concentration (LC50), followed by sublethal assessments of spontaneous tail coiling, heart rate, morphology, and larval locomotor activity. Under pH-adjusted conditions, heart rate increased, indicating a sublethal effect on cardiac function. In contrast, unadjusted exposures caused a concentration-dependent increase in medium pH associated with adverse effects on survival, development, and behavior, despite no morphological abnormalities. For statistical analyses, individual measurements were averaged within each vessel, and vessel-level means were used to assess concentration–response relationships and estimate concentration–response trend rates. Responses differed between DEA-Adj and DEA-Unadj under their respective testing conditions, highlighting the importance of considering exposure-medium pH when assessing alkaline chemical toxicity. pH alterations caused by chemical releases may also contribute to adverse effects in aquatic organisms and should be considered when evaluating the environmental implications of DEA contamination.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -