Neem leaf powder (Azadirachta indica) mitigates oxidative stress and pathological alterations triggered by lead toxicity in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Abstract

This study investigated the clinical and pathological symptoms of waterborne lead toxicity in wild Nile tilapia collected from a lead-contaminated area (the Mariotteya Canal: Pb = 0.6 ± 0.21 mg L−1) and a farmed fish after 2 weeks of experimental exposure to lead acetate (5–10 mg L−1) in addition to evaluating the efficacy of neem leaf powder (NLP) treatment in mitigating symptoms of lead toxicity. A total of 150 fish (20 ± 2 g) were alienated into five groups (30 fish/group with three replicates). G1 was assigned as a negative control without any treatments. Groups (2–5) were exposed to lead acetate for 2 weeks at a concentration of 5 mg L−1 (G2 and G3) or 10 mg L−1 (G4 and G5). During the lead exposure period, all groups were reared under the same conditions, while G3 and G5 were treated with 1 g L−1 NLP. Lead toxicity induced DNA fragmentation and lipid peroxidation and decreased the level of glutathione and expression of heme synthesis enzyme delta aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase (ALA-D) in wild tilapia, G2, and G4. NLP could alleviate the oxidative stress stimulated by lead in G3 and showed an insignificant effect in G5. The pathological findings, including epithelial hyperplasia in the gills, edema in the gills and muscles, degeneration and necrosis in the liver and muscle, and leukocytic infiltration in all organs, were directly correlated with lead concentration. Thus, the aqueous application of NLP at 1 g L−1 reduced oxidative stress and lowered the pathological alterations induced by lead toxicity.

Dietary Immune Nutritive Effect of Chitosan/Chitosan Nanoparticles on the Nile Tilapia: Short-term Exposure

“…Thus, antibiotic usage was globally banned, forcing people to seek alternative, safe methods for disease prevention and management. The most promising alternative methods for disease management that have achieved reasonable degrees of success are immunostimulants, herbal extracts, probiotics, prebiotics, symbiotics, acidifiers, and vaccines (Abu Elala and Ragaa, 2015; Abu- Elala et al, , 2023.…”

Effects of the interaction between tank color and type of feed pellets on biological and physiological indicators in red hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus × Oreochromis niloticus) juveniles reared in brackish water

“…There are three major ways to maximize feed utilization: (1) using feed additives, that is, herbs extracts (El‐Dakar et al, 2008; Hussein et al, 2023), probiotics (M. Abdel‐Aziz et al, 2020; El‐Dakar et al, 2007; Shadrack et al, 2023), exogenous enzymes, and minerals in nanoparticles (Dawood et al, 2019, 2020), (2) establishing feeding strategies (M. F. Abdel‐Aziz et al, 2016; M. Abdel‐Aziz et al, 2020; M. F. Abdel‐Aziz, Abdel‐Tawwab, et al, 2021; El‐Dakar et al, 2021), and (3) providing the optimal environmental conditions for the well‐being of fish to maximize the utilization of each feed molecule added to the water (Abu‐Elala et al, 2023; El Basuini, Teiba, et al, 2022; El Basuini, Zaki, et al, 2022; Teiba et al, 2020).…”