Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activation Mediates Acute Lethality and Developmental Toxicity of Polychlorinated Diphenyl Ethers in Vertebrates: Mechanistic Insights and Implications for Toxicity Equivalency Factor Frameworks
Experimental findings reveal that acute lethality and developmental toxicity due to PCDEs in zebrafish suggest implications for toxicity equivalency frameworks.
Key Points
AHR activation — mediating acute lethality and developmental toxicity of polychlorinated diphenyl ethers in zebrafish.
Mortality rates were significantly reduced in Ahr2-null zebrafish, observing differences up to 78.8%.
Analysis demonstrated dioxin-like activities of PCDEs using luciferase reporter gene assays across species.
These findings highlight the need to include PCDEs in ecological risk assessments given their bioaccumulation potential.