Dietary Supplementation of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) With Panax ginseng Essential Oil: Positive Impact on Animal Health and Productive Performance, and Mitigating Effects on Atrazine-Induced Toxicity

The present study assessed the impact of Panax ginseng essential oil (GEO) supplementation on physiological parameters related to productive performance and health status in Nile tilapia reared under standard conditions and exposed to a sub-lethal atrazine (ATZ) concentration. Fish were allocated into 6 groups: the control group was reared in clean water and fed with a commercial basal diet (CNT), two groups were fed with the basal diet supplemented with two different levels of GEO (GEO1 and GEO2, respectively), one group was intoxicated with 1/5 of ATZ 96-h lethal concentration 50 (1.39 mg/L) (ATZ group), and the remaining two groups were fed with the GEO-supplemented diets and concurrently exposed to 1.39 mg ATZ/L (GEO1+ATZ and GEO2+ATZ, respectively). The experiment lasted for 60 days. GEO supplementation exerted a significantly positive influence on fish growth, feed utilization, and hepatic antioxidant defense systems at both levels of supplementation. ATZ exposure significantly reduced fish survival rates and impaired fish growth and feed utilization, with the lowest final weights, weight gain, total feed intake, and the highest feed conversion ratio being recorded in the ATZ-intoxicated group. ATZ exposure caused significant changes in intestinal digestive enzyme activity (decreased lipase activity), hematological indices (decreased hemoglobin, packed cell volume, erythrocytes, and leukocytes), blood biochemical variables (decreased total proteins, albumin, globulins, and immunoglobulin M; increased total cholesterol, triglycerides, and cortisol), and hepatic oxidative/antioxidant indices (decreased glutathione level, superoxide dismutase and catalase enzyme activity and mRNA expression levels, and increased malondialdehyde content). Moreover, in the hepatic tissue of ATZ-intoxicated Nile tilapia, histopathological alterations and upregulated mRNA expression levels of stress- and apoptosis-related genes (Hsp70, caspase 3, and p53) were observed. GEO supplementation in ATZ-treated groups significantly attenuated the aforementioned negative effects, though some parameters did not reach the CNT values. These findings provide further and partly new evidence that sub-lethal ATZ toxicity induces reduced survivability, growth retardation, impaired digestive function, anemia, immunosuppression, hepatic oxidative stress damage, and overall increased stress level in Nile tilapia, and suggest that GEO supplementation may be useful for mitigating this toxicity and provide more general support to the productive performance and health status of this fish species

In ovo protective effects of chicoric and rosmarinic acids against Thiacloprid-induced cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, and growth retardation on newly hatched chicks

Thiacloprid (TH) is a neonicotinoid insecticide employed in agriculture to protect fruits and vegetables against different insects. It showed different deleterious effects on the general health of non-target organisms including birds and animals, however, its developmental toxicity has yet to be fully elucidated. Chicoric (CA) and rosmarinic (RA) acids are polyphenolic compounds with a wide range of beneficial biological activities. In this study, the possible protective effects of CA and RA were investigated in chick embryos exposed in ovo to TH (1mg/egg) with or without CA (100 mg/egg) or RA (100 mg/egg) co-exposure. TH reduced the hatchling body weight, body weight/egg weight, and relative weight of bursa of Fabricius in the one-day-old hatchlings. Examination of the 7-day-old chicks revealed a decline in feed intake, daily weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and plasma levels of T3, T4, and growth hormone. Serum ALT, AST activities, and total cholesterol levels showed significant elevations. Hepatic MDA was increased with a reduction in SOD activity and GSH level and downregulation of the liver SOD and GST gene expression pattern. Serum IgG and IgM levels were reduced, and various histopathological alterations were noticed in the liver. Co-administration of CA or RA with TH mitigated the toxic effects on hatchlings. When both CA and RA are combined, they present a synergistic protective effect. CA and RA can be used as protective agents against TH toxicity as they improve growth performance and have hepatoprotective and immunostimulant effects in newly hatched chicks

Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) Induce Cytotoxicity in the Zebrafish Olfactory Organs via Activating Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis at the Ultrastructure and Genetic Levels

Nanotechnology has gained tremendous attention because of its crucial characteristics and wide biomedical applications. Although zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are involved in many industrial applications, researchers pay more attention to their toxic effects on living organisms. Since the olfactory epithelium is exposed to the external environment, it is considered the first organ affected by ZnO-NPs. Herein, we demonstrated the cytotoxic effect of ZnO-NPs on the olfactory organ of adult zebrafish after 60 days post-treatment. We opted for this period when fishes stop eating their diet from the aquarium, appear feeble, and cannot swim freely. Our study demonstrated that ZnO-NPs induced significant malformations of the olfactory rosettes at histological, ultrastructural, and genetic levels. At the ultrastructure level, the olfactory lamellae appeared collapsed, malformed, and twisted with signs of degeneration and loss of intercellular connections. In addition, ZnO-NPs harmed sensory receptor and ciliated cells, microvilli, rodlet, crypt, and Kappe cells, with hyper-activity of mucous secretion from goblet cells. At the genetic level, ZnO-NPs could activate the reactive oxygen species (ROS) synthesis expected by the down-regulation of mRNA expression for the antioxidant-related genes and up-regulation of DNA damage, cell growth arrest, and apoptosis. Interestingly, ZnO-NPs affected the odor sensation at 60 days post-treatment (60-dpt) more than at 30-dpt, severely damaging the olfactory epithelium and irreparably affecting the cellular repairing mechanisms. This induced a dramatically adverse effect on the cellular endoplasmic reticulum (ER), revealed by higher CHOP protein expression, that suppresses the antioxidant effect of Nrf2 and is followed by the induction of apoptosis via the up-regulation of Bax expression and down-regulation of Bcl-2 protein

Benefits of <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> against Cadmium Chloride-Induced Hepatic and Renal Toxicities via Restoring the Cellular Redox Homeostasis and Modulating Nrf2 and NF-KB Pathways in Male Rats

In our life scenarios, we are involuntarily exposed to many heavy metals that are well-distributed in water, food, and air and have adverse health effects on animals and humans. Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic 10 chemicals reported by The World Health Organization (WHO), affecting organ structure and function. In our present study, we use one of the green microalga Chlorella vulgaris (ChV, 500 mg/kg body weight) to investigate the beneficial effects against CdCl2-induced hepato-renal toxicity (Cd, 2 mg/kg body weight for 10 days) on adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. In brief, 40 adult male rats were divided into four groups (n = 10); Control, ChV, Cd, and Cd + ChV. Cadmium alters liver and kidney architecture and disturbs the cellular signaling cascade, resulting in loss of body weight, alteration of the hematological picture, and increased ALT, AST, ALP, and urea in the blood serum. Moreover, cadmium puts hepatic and renal cells under oxidative stress due to the up-regulation of lipid peroxidation resulting in a significant increase in the IgG level as an innate immunity protection and induction of the pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α) that causes hepatic hemorrhage, irregular hepatocytes in the liver and focal glomeruli swelling and proximal tubular degeneration in the kidney. ChV additive to CdCl2, could organize the protein translation process via NF-kB/Nrf2 pathways to prevent oxidative damage by maintaining cellular redox homeostasis and improving the survival of and tolerance of cells against oxidative damage caused by cadmium. The present study shed light on the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties of Chlorella vulgaris that suppress the toxicity influence of CdCl2

The Role of Phthalocyanine-Gold Nanoconjugates (Pc-Au NCs) in Ameliorating the Hepatic and Renal Toxicity-Induced by Silver Nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in Male Rats

Recently, gold nanoparticles (Au Nps) have gained tremendous attention for its unique properties as a safe nanocarrier for delivering drugs that are used in different disease diagnoses. Although silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have been generally applied due to their strong antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties, their toxicity is a subject of sustained debate, thus requiring further studies. The present study aims to evaluate the potential protective effect of gold nanoparticles and phthalocyanine-gold nanoconjugates (Pc-Au NCs) against the hepatorenal toxicity of silver nanoparticles in male rats. Herein, 60 adult male Rattus norvegicus rats were divided into six equal groups (n = 10/group); the first group was kept as control, the second received gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) intraperitoneally (10 mu g/kg) daily for 3 weeks, the third group is gold-phthalocyanine (Pc-Au) group where rats were injected intraperitoneally with gold-phthalocyanine for 3 weeks (10 mu g/kg), the fourth group received silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) (4 mg/kg) daily intraperitoneally for 3 weeks, the fifth group is silver + gold nanoparticles group (Ag + Au), and the sixth is silver + gold-phthalocyanine nanoconjugates (Ag + Pc-Au) group in which rats were intraperitoneally injected firstly with Ag NPs (4 mg/kg) for 3 weeks then with gold or gold-phthalocyanine for another 3 weeks (10 mu g/kg). Our results revealed that Ag NPs could increase the serum AST, ALT, ALP, urea, creatinine, and lipid profile and significantly decreased the total protein and albumin. Moreover, histopathological alterations detected in the kidney and the liver of the Ag NPs group included vascular congestion, inflammatory cell infiltration, and tissue distortion. Alongside, exposure to Ag NPs induces hepatic and renal oxidative stress by suppressing the antioxidant-related genes including glutathione peroxidase 1 (gpx1), superoxide dismutase (sod), and catalase (cat). Ag NPs also upregulated the hepatic and renal genes involved in inflammation such as the interleukin-6 (il-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (tnf-alpha), nuclear factor kappa B (nf-kappa beta), apoptosis such as the BCL2 associated X (bax), casp3, and other related to metabolism including asparagine synthetase (asns), suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (socs3), MYC proto-oncogene (myc), and C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (ccl2). On the other hand, treatment with Au NPs and Pc-Au NCs could effectively ameliorate the hepatorenal damages induced by Ag NPs and improve liver and kidney architecture and function, especially in the Pc-Au NCs group. Briefly, our study revealed the underlined mechanism of Ag NPs hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic effects and that Pc-Au NCs could alleviate these adverse impacts via their anti-oxidative, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory activities

Dunaliella salina Microalga Restores the Metabolic Equilibrium and Ameliorates the Hepatic Inflammatory Response Induced by Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) in Male Zebrafish

Microalgae are rich in bioactive compounds including pigments, proteins, lipids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, and vitamins. Due to their non-toxic and nutritious characteristics, these are suggested as important food for many aquatic animals. Dunaliella salina is a well-known microalga that accumulates valuable amounts of carotenoids. We investigated whether it could restore the metabolic equilibrium and mitigate the hepatic inflammation induced by zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) using male zebrafish which were exposed to 1/5th 96 h-LC50 for 4 weeks, followed by dietary supplementation with D. salina at two concentrations (15% and 30%) for 2 weeks. Collectively, ZnO-NPs affected fish appetite, whole body composition, hepatic glycogen and lipid contents, intestinal bacterial and Aeromonas counts, as well as hepatic tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a). In addition, the mRNA expression of genes related to gluconeogenesis (pck1, gys2, and g6pc3), lipogenesis (srepf1, acaca, fasn, and cd36), and inflammatory response (tnf-a, tnf-b, nf-kb2) were modulated. D. salina reduced the body burden of zinc residues, restored the fish appetite and normal liver architecture, and mitigated the toxic impacts of ZnO-NPs on whole-body composition, intestinal bacteria, energy metabolism, and hepatic inflammatory markers. Our results revealed that the administration of D. salina might be effective in neutralizing the hepatotoxic effects of ZnO-NPs in the zebrafish model

The Role of Chlorella vulgaris in Attenuating Infertility Induced by Cadmium Chloride via Suppressing Oxidative Stress and Modulating Spermatogenesis and Steroidogenesis in Male Rats

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant known as endocrine disruptor . Cd has been reported to induce perturbations of the testicular functions and the subsequent decline of the male fertility of both animals and humans. Chlorella vulgaris (ChV) a species of green microalga has been reported to have multiple beneficial activities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic effects. Thus, this work was conducted to declare the benefits of Chlorella vulgaris (ChV) (500 mg/kg doses) against cadmium chloride CdCl2 (2 mg/kg doses) toxicity on the main and accessory reproductive organs' weight, structure, and function of male rats. Briefly, 40 adult male rats in 4 groups (n = 10) were used as follows; control, ChV, CdCl2, and CdCl2+ChV. (i) The 1st group was kept as control fed on pellet chow and water ad libitum. (ii) The second group is Chlorella vulgaris (ChV) group fed with C. vulgaris alga for 10 days (500 mg/kg BW). (iii) The third group was administrated CdCl2 (2mg/kg BW) via subcutaneous injection (S/C) daily for 10 days. (iv) The fourth group administered both CdCl2 and ChV with the abovementioned doses daily for successive 10 days. Our observations declared that cadmium exhibited an adverse influence on the testes and prostate gland architecture indicated by seminiferous tubule destruction, testicular edema, degeneration of Leydig cells, and prostate acini damage. All together affect the epididymal semen quality and quantity including sperm viability, motility, and count. Interestingly, ChV could restore the testicular architecture and spermatozoa regeneration accompanied by semen quality improvement and increased reproductive hormones including testosterone. On the other side, ChV suppresses reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation via enhancement the antioxidant-related genes in the testicular tissue including SOD, CAT, GSH, and MDA and maintaining spermatocyte survival via suppression of apoptotic related genes including caspase3 and activating steroidogenic related genes including StAR and HSD17 beta 3 in the cadmium-treated testes. In this study, ChV could enhance male fertility under normal or stressful conditions and ameliorate the adverse effects of hazardous heavy metals that are widely distributed in our environmen

Dunaliella salina Microalga Restores the Metabolic Equilibrium and Ameliorates the Hepatic Inflammatory Response Induced by Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) in Male Zebrafish

Microalgae are rich in bioactive compounds including pigments, proteins, lipids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, and vitamins. Due to their non-toxic and nutritious characteristics, these are suggested as important food for many aquatic animals. Dunaliella salina is a well-known microalga that accumulates valuable amounts of carotenoids. We investigated whether it could restore the metabolic equilibrium and mitigate the hepatic inflammation induced by zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) using male zebrafish which were exposed to 1/5th 96 h-LC50 for 4 weeks, followed by dietary supplementation with D. salina at two concentrations (15% and 30%) for 2 weeks. Collectively, ZnO-NPs affected fish appetite, whole body composition, hepatic glycogen and lipid contents, intestinal bacterial and Aeromonas counts, as well as hepatic tumor necrosis factor- &alpha; (TNF-&alpha;). In addition, the mRNA expression of genes related to gluconeogenesis (pck1, gys2, and g6pc3), lipogenesis (srepf1, acaca, fasn, and cd36), and inflammatory response (tnf-&alpha;, tnf-&beta;, nf-kb2) were modulated. D. salina reduced the body burden of zinc residues, restored the fish appetite and normal liver architecture, and mitigated the toxic impacts of ZnO-NPs on whole-body composition, intestinal bacteria, energy metabolism, and hepatic inflammatory markers. Our results revealed that the administration of D. salina might be effective in neutralizing the hepatotoxic effects of ZnO-NPs in the zebrafish model

Thymol-enriched diet alleviates the toxic impacts of zinc oxide nanoparticles on growth performance, blood biochemistry, oxidant/antioxidant status and stress-related genes and histology of liver and gills in Oreochromis niloticus

Dietary natural components emerged as key supplements for protecting fish against aquatic pollutants. In this study, we explored the efficacy of thymol supplementation (1 or 2 g/kg diet) in alleviating the toxic effects induced by exposing Oreochromis niloticus to zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZON) at 1.14 mg/L (equivalent to 1/5th LC50) for 28 days. Relative to control, the fish treated with ZON showed a reduction in the survival rate and growth performance, with the highest zinc residues detected in the liver, followed by muscle and, finally, gills. Alterations were recorded in serum biochemistry reflecting ZON's hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity, along with reductions in growth hormone, T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine). The intestinal amylase, lipase, and protease activities were suppressed with increases in the intestinal Aeromonas and total bacterial counts in the ZON-exposed group. Elevated tissue levels of MDA (malondialdehyde) and PC (protein carbonyl) content, with depletion of the SOD (superoxide dismutase) and CAT (catalase) activities, and GSH (reduced glutathione) levels were also noted in ZON-exposed group, in addition to upregulation of the hepatic HSP-70 (heat shock protein-70), Caspase-3, and P53 (Tumor suppressor protein). Moreover, histomorphological changes were recorded in the ZON-treated fish's liver and gills. Conversely, concomitant administration of thymol with ZON blunted these toxic impacts in a dose-specific manner. Based on these data, thymol could be an effective dietary supplement for stressed fish