Natural pyrethrins induced developmental toxicity of zebrafish swim bladder in vivo and genotoxicity of lung cells in vitro

Natural pyrethrins (NPs) are insecticidal compounds isolated and extracted from pyrethrum flowers and are primarily use to control sanitary pests. The lungs become the main target after exposure, and its use may pose potential hazards to respiratory health. Therefore, in this paper, the toxic effects of NPs on human lung cells A549 were investigated and the risk of respiratory toxicity of NPs was studied using zebrafish swim bladder as a model. The results showed that NPs induced cytotoxicity, caused oxidative DNA damage and triggered mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. In addition, exposure to NPs decreased zebrafish embryo survival, hatchability, and heartbeat, and may inhibit normal swim bladder development by disrupting Wnt and Hedgehog signaling pathways. In conclusion, our results suggest that NPs can induce cytotoxicity in A549 in vitro and developmental toxicity in zebrafish in vivo. This study provides a conceptual basis for understanding the mechanisms of toxicity of NPs and assessing respiratory health risks in humans.