Project R-8183

Metal Mixture Toxicity and Defense Mechanism in Zebra fish (Danio rerio) and other Model Species. (Research)

Metals play a pivotal role in various biochemical and physiological processes. They are widely found in nature, particularly in mineral deposits and soils, meaning that they are available to be taken up by plants and animals that serve as a food source for humans. Virtually, all metals, including the essential metal micronutrients, are toxic to both fresh and marine organisms as well as humans if exposure levels are sufficiently high. The toxicity of the most important metals such as copper, zinc, nickel, lead, Cadmium, etc. have been extensively documented for various species and the results have been used to derive environmental standards. However, the studies on potential toxicity in combined metal scenarios via different routes of exposure and its comparison at different biological levels is scarce. Our study is first of its kind, in which we will study mixed metal toxicity through different routes of exposure in different organisms. This will not only provide an insight into underlying molecular mechanisms in generic versus compound specific stress responses, but also compare the effects at different biological levels, via different routes of exposure. This will help to understand if the effects are species specific and whether the effects are dependent upon routes of exposure. The study is a joint project between University of Hasselt and University of Antwerpen. The expertise of both the institutions shall be utilized to advance the presently existing knowledge on similar studies, which will benefit the researchers to work on combating metal toxicity and also serve to further strengthen the collaboration between the two institutions. A portion of work, which includes optimization experimental set up, optimization methods and experiment on zebrafish (WP1, WP2) has already been completed and a manuscript is in process of publication. The remaining portion requires the funding for a period of 2 years out of which, one year funding is expected to be organized by university of Antwerpen and for the remaining one year funding we will require help from UHasselt to meet our costs and run the project smoothly within the estimated time frame and come up with peer reviewed publications.

01 October 2017 - 30 September 2018