2. Academic Validation
  3. Cyflumetofen induces hepatic steatosis and disrupts lipid metabolism in zebrafish larvae

Cyflumetofen induces hepatic steatosis and disrupts lipid metabolism in zebrafish larvae

  • Chem Biol Interact. 2026 Apr 25:429:111957. doi: 10.1016/j.cbi.2026.111957.
Wei-Guo Wang 1,  Yi-Min Duan 1,  Da-Wei Yan 2,  Lan Xu 3,  Wen-Ping Xu 1,  Li-Ming Tao 1,  Yang Zhang 4,  Jia-Gao Cheng 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
  • 2 Shanghai New Tobacco Product Research Institute Co., Ltd., No. 3733 Xiupu Road, Shanghai, 201315, China.
  • 3 New Tobacco Products Engineering Center, Shanghai Tobacco Group Co., Ltd., No. 3733 Xiupu Road, Shanghai, 201315, China.
  • 4 Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 5 Shanghai Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 41654006 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2026.111957
Abstract

Cyflumetofen is a highly effective acaricide, and both it and its metabolites are often present in the environment as pollutants. Therefore, the safety of cyflumetofen for non-target organisms requires further attention. This study used zebrafish larvae to evaluate the effects of cyflumetofen on liver development. After 72-h exposure, cyflumetofen specifically manifested as significantly reduced liver area and histological damage (cellular vacuolization, nuclear loss) in the 2.0 and 4.0 μg/mL exposure groups. Concurrently, Oil Red O, Nile Red, and BODIPY 493/503 staining all showed that cyflumetofen induced hepatic and systemic lipid accumulation, accompanied by increased levels of TG, CH, FC, and LDL-C, and decreased HDL-C levels. qPCR analysis further revealed the molecular mechanism by which it disrupts lipid metabolism: promoting the expression of fatty acid synthesis genes (srebp-1c, fas) and inhibiting the expression of catabolism genes (cpt-1a, PPARα) and lipid transport (fabp2). These integrated results demonstrate that cyflumetofen can cause abnormal liver development and induce systemic lipid metabolism disorder in zebrafish larvae.

Keywords

Cyflumetofen; Hepatotoxicity; Lipid metabolism; Zebrafish larvae.

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