Uptake, depuration and bioconcentration of bisphenol AF (BPAF) in whole-body and tissues of zebrafish (Danio rerio)

• The accumulation and elimination of BPAF in the zebrafish were measured.
• The female gonad delays the diffusion and elimination of BPAF within the body.
• The appearance of BPAF in female gonads indicates the maternal transfer of BPAF.

Bisphenol AF (BPAF) is an analog of Bisphenol A (BPA) and is widely used as a raw material in the plastics industry. However, an understanding of the potential risks posed by BPAF in the aquatic environment is lacking. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) is a measure used to assess the secondary poisoning potential as well as risks to human health. In this work we measured the accumulation and elimination of BPAF in the whole-body and in liver, muscle and gonad tissues of zebrafish. BPAF uptake was relatively rapid with equilibrium concentrations reached after 24–72 h of exposure. We observed gender differences both in whole-body and in tissue accumulation. Muscle was the primary BPAF storage tissue during the uptake phase in this study. In the elimination phase, BPAF concentrations declined rapidly during depuration, especially during the initial 2 h, and the rate of elimination in males was faster than females from the whole-body and from tissues. The appearance of BPAF glucuronide (BPAF-G) at the start of the uptake phase indicated the rapid biotransformation of BPAF to BPAF-G in vivo. The high lipid content of female gonad could act to delay the diffusion of the xenobiotic within the body in a contaminated environment, but it also acts to delay xenobiotic elimination from the body.