Recovery of the Reproductive Capability Following Exposure to 4-tert-Octylphenol in the Neotropical Cichlid Fish Cichlasoma dimerus

Abstract

Here, we analyzed the recovery of the reproductive capability in male Cichlasoma dimerus after exposure to sublethal concentrations of 4-tert-octylphenol (OP), a demonstrated estrogenic chemical. Adult fish were exposed to 0, 30, 150 and 300 μg/L OP during 60 days and subsequently transferred to OP-free water for another 60 days. At 150 and 300 μg/L, absence of fertilized spawnings were recorded during the first 4 weeks following OP exposure, which could be explained by the impairment of testis architecture recorded at the highest OP concentrations. The restoration of the testicular organization began by day 14 in OP-free water, when the germinal epithelium re-started to proliferate. Testicular functionality was recovered by day 28, yielding fertilized eggs and viable F1 embryos. These results show that pathological features induced in the testes of C. dimerus by OP exposure are not permanent since fish recover their fertilization capacity after an adequate depuration period.