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Simple Summary: Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) are top marine predators which are facing serious threats from overfishing, pollution, and climate change, especially in the Mediterranean Sea. Environmental conditions influence the levels of melatonin-related genes and opsins, which are crucial for regulating important processes like reproduction, growth, and stress responses in fish. Our findings on the expression of these genes in the livers of immature and mature female swordfish indicate a need for more research into their specific functions in different tissues. Mature and immature female swordfish show different gonadal expression patterns of melatonin synthesis-related and opsin genes, indicating that seasonality affects gonadal circadian genes, especially through opsin modulation. The high energy demands of reproduction may cause mature female swordfish to become more susceptible to environmental stressors/changes, potentially affecting their health post-reproduction. The modulation of melatonin and opsin expression may also influence swordfish biology, impacting basal metabolism and stress responses. This study aimed to investigate the hepatic expression patterns of genes involved in melatonin and opsins activity after the reproductive period, comparing mature and immature females. Liver samples of swordfish females, collected from the Central Adriatic Sea, were analyzed to evaluate the expression of a melatonin receptor (mel1b), acetylserotonin O-methyltransferase (asmt), opsins (sws, VA opsin and opsin4), and stress response (sod1, sod2 and hsp4b) genes, while histological analysis focused on hepatic melanomacrophages, melanomacrophage centers, and lipid content. The expression of all genes analyzed did not differ between mature and immature females except for sws, which was significantly downregulated in mature females. The overall health conditions of mature and immature females appeared comparable, as suggested by the histological analysis and the absence of significant differences in the expression of stress response genes. Although the study used a limited number of samples and lacked a comparison between the reproductive and non-reproductive periods, the preliminary results suggest that opsins may play a role in modulating physiological processes beyond reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a lipid signaling system involved in numerous physiological processes, such as endocrine homeostasis, appetite control, energy balance, and metabolism. The ECS comprises endocannabinoids, their cognate receptors, and the enzymatic machinery that tightly regulates their levels within tissues. This system has been identified in various organs, including the brain and liver, in multiple mammalian and non-mammalian species. However, information regarding the sex-specific regulation of the ECS remains limited, even though increasing evidence suggests that interactions between sex steroid hormones and the ECS may ultimately modulate hepatic metabolism and energy homeostasis. Within this framework, we will review the sexual dimorphism of the ECS in various animal models, providing evidence of the crosstalk between endocannabinoids and sex hormones via different metabolic pathways. Additionally, we will underscore the importance of understanding how endocrine-disrupting chemicals and exogenous cannabinoids influence ECS-dependent metabolic pathways in a sex-specific manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diisononyl phthalate, classified as endocrine disruptor, has been investigate to trigger lipid biosynthesis in both mammalian and teleostean animal models. Despite this, little is known about the effects of DiNP exposure at tolerable daily intake level and the possible mechanisms of its toxicity. Probiotics, on the other hand, were demonstrated to have beneficial effects on the organism's metabolism and recently emerged as a possible tool to mitigate the EDC toxicity. In the present study, using a metabolomic approach, the potential hepatic sex-related toxicity of DiNP was investigated in adult zebrafish together with the mitigating action of the probiotic formulation SLAB51, which has already demonstrated its ability to ameliorate gastrointestinal pathologies in animals including humans. Zebrafish were exposed for 28 days to 50 µg/kg body weight (bw)/day of DiNP (DiNP) through their diet and treated with 109 CFU/g bw of SLAB51 (P) and the combination of DiNP and SLAB51 (DiNP + P), and the results were compared to those of an untreated control group (C). DiNP reduced AMP, IMP, and GMP in the purine metabolism, while such alterations were not observed in the DiNP + P group, for which the phenotype overlapped that of C fish. In addition, in male, DiNP reduced UMP and CMP levels in the pyrimidine metabolism, while the co-administration of probiotic shifted the DiNP + P metabolic phenotype toward that of P male and closed to C male, suggesting the beneficial effects of probiotics also in male fish. Overall, these results provide the first evidence of the disruptive actions of DiNP on hepatic nucleotide metabolism and mitigating action of the probiotic to reduce a DiNP-induced response in a sex-related manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sentinel fish hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthysverticalis) captured near wastewater outfalls are used for monitoring exposure to industrial and agricultural chemicals of ~ 20 million people living in coastal Southern California. Although analyses of hormones in blood and organ morphology and histology are useful for assessing contaminant exposure, there is a need for quantitative and sensitive molecular measurements, since contaminants of emerging concern are known to produce subtle effects. We developed a second generation multi-species microarray with expanded content and sensitivity to investigate endocrine disruption in turbot captured near wastewater outfalls in San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles California. Analysis of expression of genes involved in hormone [e.g., estrogen, androgen, thyroid] responses and xenobiotic metabolism in turbot livers was correlated with a series of phenotypic end points. Molecular analyses of turbot livers uncovered altered expression of vitellogenin and zona pellucida protein, indicating exposure to one or more estrogenic chemicals, as well as, alterations in cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A, CYP3A and glutathione S-transferase-α indicating induction of the detoxification response. Molecular responses indicative of exposure to endocrine disruptors were observed in field-caught hornyhead turbot captured in Southern California demonstrating the utility of molecular methods for monitoring environmental chemicals in wastewater outfalls. Moreover, this approach can be adapted to monitor other sites for contaminants of emerging concern in other fish species for which there are few available gene sequences.