Embryonic Amoxicillin Exposure Has Limited Impact on Liver Development but Increases Susceptibility to NAFLD in Zebrafish Larvae

Gao, Peng; Chang, Cheng; Liang, Jieling; Du, Fen; Zhang, Ruilin

doi:10.3390/ijms25052744

Open AccessArticle

Embryonic Amoxicillin Exposure Has Limited Impact on Liver Development but Increases Susceptibility to NAFLD in Zebrafish Larvae

by

Peng Gao

^1,†,

Cheng Chang

^1,†,

Jieling Liang

¹,

Fen Du

¹ and

Ruilin Zhang

^1,2,*

¹

TaiKang Medical School (School of Basic Medical Sciences), Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China

²

Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, Wuhan 430071, China

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2744; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052744

Submission received: 23 January 2024 / Revised: 13 February 2024 / Accepted: 23 February 2024 / Published: 27 February 2024

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Zebrafish as an Experimental Model for Human Disease)

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Abstract

Amoxicillin is commonly used in clinical settings to target bacterial infection and is frequently prescribed during pregnancy. Investigations into its developmental toxicity and effects on disease susceptibility are not comprehensive. Our present study examined the effects of embryonic amoxicillin exposure on liver development and function, especially the effects on susceptibility to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) using zebrafish as an animal model. We discovered that embryonic amoxicillin exposure did not compromise liver development, nor did it induce liver toxicity. However, co-treatment of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid diminished BESP expression, caused bile stasis and induced liver toxicity. Embryonic amoxicillin exposure resulted in elevated expression of lipid synthesis genes and exacerbated hepatic steatosis in a fructose-induced NAFLD model, indicating embryonic amoxicillin exposure increased susceptibility to NAFLD in zebrafish larvae. In summary, this research broadens our understanding of the risks of amoxicillin usage during pregnancy and provides evidence for the impact of embryonic amoxicillin exposure on disease susceptibility in offspring.

Keywords: amoxicillin: clavulanic acid; developmental toxicity; disease susceptibility; NAFLD

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MDPI and ACS Style

Gao, P.; Chang, C.; Liang, J.; Du, F.; Zhang, R. Embryonic Amoxicillin Exposure Has Limited Impact on Liver Development but Increases Susceptibility to NAFLD in Zebrafish Larvae. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 2744. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052744

AMA Style

Gao P, Chang C, Liang J, Du F, Zhang R. Embryonic Amoxicillin Exposure Has Limited Impact on Liver Development but Increases Susceptibility to NAFLD in Zebrafish Larvae. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2024; 25(5):2744. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052744

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gao, Peng, Cheng Chang, Jieling Liang, Fen Du, and Ruilin Zhang. 2024. "Embryonic Amoxicillin Exposure Has Limited Impact on Liver Development but Increases Susceptibility to NAFLD in Zebrafish Larvae" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 25, no. 5: 2744. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052744

APA Style

Gao, P., Chang, C., Liang, J., Du, F., & Zhang, R. (2024). Embryonic Amoxicillin Exposure Has Limited Impact on Liver Development but Increases Susceptibility to NAFLD in Zebrafish Larvae. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(5), 2744. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052744

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Embryonic Amoxicillin Exposure Has Limited Impact on Liver Development but Increases Susceptibility to NAFLD in Zebrafish Larvae

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