Exposure to the synthetic phenolic antioxidant 4,4′-thiobis(6-t-butyl-m-cresol) disrupts early development in the frog Silurana tropicalis

Reyes, Yol Monica; Robinson, Stacey A.; De Silva, Amila O.; Brinovcar, Cassandra; Trudeau, Vance L.

Exposure to the synthetic phenolic antioxidant 4,4′-thiobis(6-t-butyl-m-cresol) disrupts early development in the frog Silurana tropicalis

Simple item page

Full item details

dc.contributor.author: Reyes, Yol Monica; Robinson, Stacey A.; De Silva, Amila O.; Brinovcar, Cassandra; Trudeau, Vance L.
dc.date.accepted: 2021-11-04
dc.date.accessioned: 2025-12-22T20:13:32Z
dc.date.available: 2025-12-22T20:13:32Z
dc.date.issued: 2022-03
dc.date.submitted: 2021-08-11
dc.description.abstract - en: Many chemicals in commonly used household and industrial products are being released into the environment, yet their toxicity is poorly understood. The synthetic phenolic antioxidant, 4,4’-thiobis(6-t-butyl-m-cresol) (CAS 96-69-5; TBBC) is present in many common products made of rubber and plastic. Yet, this phenolic antioxidant has not been tested for potential toxicity and developmental disruption in amphibians, a sensitive and susceptible class. We investigated whether acute and chronic exposure to TBBC would interfere with thyroid hormone-dependent developmental processes in the frog Silurana tropicalis and thus affect its early life-stage development. We exposed S. tropicalis embryos at the Nieuwkoop-Faber (NF) 9-10 stage to TBBC at nominal concentrations (0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 200 and 400 µg/L) to determine the 96h lethal concentrations and sublethal effects. We conducted a chronic exposure starting at stage NF47-48 to three sublethal TBBC nominal concentrations (0, 0.002, 0.1 and 5 µg/L) for 48-52 days to evaluate effects on growth and metamorphosis. The 96h lethal and effective (malformations) TBBC concentrations (LC50 and EC50) were 70.5 and 76.5 µg/L, respectively. Acute exposure to all TBBC concentrations affected S. tropicalis growth and was lethal at 200 and 400 µg/L. Chronic exposure to sublethal TBBC concentrations reduced body size by 8% at 5 µg/L and body mass by 17% at 0.002 µg/L when metamorphosis was completed. This study demonstrates that TBBC is toxic, induces malformations and inhibits tadpole growth after acute and chronic exposures. These findings call for further investigations on the mode of actions of TBBC and related antioxidants for developmental disruption in amphibians.
dc.description.plainlanguage - en: Many everyday products made from rubber and plastic contain a chemical called TBBC, but its effects on wildlife are not well understood. This study tested whether TBBC harms early development in a sensitive amphibian species, Silurana tropicalis. Tadpoles exposed to higher doses of TBBC for a short time showed stunted growth, malformations, and, at the highest levels, death. Long-term exposure to lower doses also reduced body size and weight by the time they metamorphosed. These results show that TBBC can disrupt normal development in frogs, highlighting the need for more research on this chemical and similar additives.
dc.description.plainlanguage - fr: De nombreux produits courants fabriqués à partir de caoutchouc et de plastique contiennent un produit chimique appelé TBBC, mais ses effets sur la faune sauvage ne sont pas bien connus. Cette étude a cherché à déterminer si le TBBC nuit au développement précoce d'une espèce d'amphibien sensible, Silurana tropicalis. Les têtards exposés à des doses élevées de TBBC pendant une courte période ont présenté un retard de croissance, des malformations et, aux doses les plus élevées, la mort. Une exposition à long terme à des doses plus faibles a également réduit la taille et le poids des têtards au moment de leur métamorphose. Ces résultats montrent que le TBBC peut perturber le développement normal des grenouilles, soulignant la nécessité de mener davantage de recherches sur ce produit chimique et les additifs similaires.
dc.identifier.issn: 1879-1298; 0045-6535
dc.identifier.uri: https://open-science.canada.ca/handle/123456789/4093
dc.language.iso: en
dc.publisher - en: Elsevier
dc.publisher - fr: Elsevier
dc.relation.isreplacedby: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132814
dc.rights - en: Open Government Licence - Canada
dc.rights - fr: Licence du gouvernement ouvert - Canada
dc.rights.openaccesslevel - en: Green
dc.rights.openaccesslevel - fr: Vert
dc.rights.uri - en: https://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada
dc.rights.uri - fr: https://ouvert.canada.ca/fr/licence-du-gouvernement-ouvert-canada
dc.subject - en: Plastics industry; Amphibians; Toxic substances
dc.subject - fr: Industrie des matières plastiques; Amphibien; Substance toxique
dc.subject.en - en: Plastics industry; Amphibians; Toxic substances
dc.subject.fr - fr: Industrie des matières plastiques; Amphibien; Substance toxique
dc.title - en: Exposure to the synthetic phenolic antioxidant 4,4′-thiobis(6-t-butyl-m-cresol) disrupts early development in the frog Silurana tropicalis
dc.title.alternative - fr: L'exposition à l'antioxydant phénolique synthétique 4,4'-1 thiobis(6-t-butyl m-crésol) perturbe le développement précoce chez la grenouille Silurana tropicalis
dc.type - en: Submitted manuscript
dc.type - fr: Manuscrit soumis
local.acceptedmanuscript.articlenum: 132814
local.article.journalissue: Part 1
local.article.journaltitle - en: Chemosphere
local.article.journalvolume: 291
local.pagination: 33 pages, annexes
local.peerreview - en: No
local.peerreview - fr: Non
local.requestdoi - en: No
local.requestdoi - fr: No

Download(s)

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1

Name: ExposureSyntheticPhenolicAntioxidantFrogSiluranaTropicalis.pdf

Size: 5.49 MB

Format: PDF

Download file

Collection(s)

Biodiversity