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
  • 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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