유지우 (건국대학교)

금영수 (건국대학교)

이지호 (강원대학교)

유지우 (건국대학교)

송민호 (강원대학교)

최은송 (강원대학교)

이정훈 (강원대학교)

김종환 (국가독성과학연구소)

금영수 (건국대학교)

이지호 (강원대학교)

Iprodione is a dicarboximide fungicide that has been banned in the European Union since March 5 due to its hepatotoxic and carcinogenic effects. Although several studies have reported acute toxicity of iprodione in aquatic organisms—particularly its adverse effects on reproduction and development in fish—the mechanistic understanding of its toxicity based on advanced instrumental analysis remains limited. In particular, despite concerns about its potential to disrupt androgenic hormones, comprehensive studies involving quantitative hormone profiling are scarce.

In this study, we aimed to elucidate the toxicological mechanisms of iprodione in adult zebrafish by performing quantitative hormone profiling using LC-MS/MS. To evaluate sex-specific endocrine disruption, male and female zebrafish were separately analyzed. A total of 34 steroid hormones were quantified using a derivatization technique based on dansylation, followed by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) analysis. Given the fundamental link between hormone biosynthesis and lipid metabolism, we also conducted lipidomic profiling using LC-MS/MS, which enabled the detection and optimization of 303 lipid species, including 135 phospholipids, 61 sphingolipids, 66 neutral lipids, and 41 small lipids such as carnitines and free fatty acids.

Our findings offer mechanistic insights into the endocrine-disrupting potential of iprodione and may contribute to risk assessment and future regulatory decisions regarding its environmental safety.