The Biocompatibility of Sodium Lauryl Sulphate on Developing Zebrafish Embryos

Objective: As an anionic surfactant, sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), is used as an emulsifying agent in toothpastes as well as many different household cleaning products. Many toothpastes contain SLS and it is responsible for the formation of foam when brushing. However SLS may also irritate sensitive teeth and gums. Lipid peroxidation (LPO) is defined as an autoxidation process that is induced through the attack of free oxygen radicals leading to oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of various diseases. LPO causes the formation of highly reactive products including different aldehydes, ketones, and alkanes serving as biomarkers of LPO. In our study we aimed to expose zebrafish embryos to SLS and determine LPO in SLS exposed zebrafish embryos. Material and Method: Zebrafish embryos that were dividing normally and which had spherical shapes were chosen and they were exposed to SLS both in low and high concentrations in well plates for 72 hours. Rates of mortality and hatching were determined. The levels of malondialdehyde were evaluated using the Yagi's method as the end products of LPO in the form of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. Results: Our findings showed LPO increased significantly in both low SLS (p<0.05) and high dose SLS (p<0.05) exposed zebrafish embryos when they were compared to the control group. Conclusion: It may be suggested that LPO is an early indicator of exposure to SLS during embryogenesis and further studies are required to confirm this finding.