Effects of Acute Exposure to the Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug Ibuprofen on the Developing North American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) Tadpole

An anthropogenic chemical contaminant commonly identified in aquatic receiving environments is the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), ibuprofen(IBF). While the role of ibuprofen in target organisms is known, there exists a paucity of data on the impact of exposure to non-target wildlife species. In the case of frog species, normal development and environmental fitness involves the actions of the thyroid hormones (THs), particularly at key points in the life cycle. We investigated whether exposure of premetamorphic North American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) tadpoles to IBF altered their response to treatment with an exogenous dose of thyroid hormone (T3). Six animals randomly selected from each treatment were examined for the status of the hepatic transcriptome using MAGEX DNA array analysis.