Protective Action of Hydrolysable Tannins Against Bisphenol A Toxicity on Zebrafish Development

Hydrolysable tannins (HTs) are polyphenolic compounds extracted from plants consisting of a sugar core, esterified with phenolic acids, such as gallic or ellagic acid. These phenolic acids are responsible for their well-known antioxidant, anti-tumor, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. This study investigated the potential protective role of HTs against bisphenol A (BPA), an environmental pollutant known to have toxic effects. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to BPA at 25.0 µM alone and in combination with HTs at 5.0, 10.0, and 20.0 µgL−1 for 72 h. The results showed that HTs at 20.0 µgL−1 improved hatching and heart rate affected by BPA and reduced the phenotypic alterations caused by BPA. In addition, molecular analysis of genes involved in development showed that the down-regulation of cd63, zhe1, klf4, hand2, sox9b, and gata4 genes in the BPA group were improved with HTs 20.0 µgL−1. Furthermore, HTs were able to reduce the increased lipid content caused by exposure to BPA. These results demonstrate that HTs have a protective effect on the development of zebrafish exposed to BPA, suggesting that they could potentially exert protective effects in response to other environmental stressors.