Efficacy of dietary Artemisia annua against chronic carbendazim exposure in Nile tilapia: growth, antioxidant capacity, intestinal morphology, inflammatory/apoptotic genes

Dietary Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) Against Tebuconazole Exposure in Oreochromis niloticus: Growth, Digestive Enzymes, Intestinal Transporters, Inflammatory/Apoptotic Genes, and Histological Assays.

Fish health and the sustainability of aquaculture are seriously threatened by exposure to agricultural fungicides. Thus, the current study intended to assess how dietary roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) extract (ROS) protects Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) from tebuconazole (TEB)-induced toxicity. Fish (n = 160; 20.16 ± 0.23 g) were distributed into four groups (40 fish/group; 10 fish/replicate) for 60 days. The control and ROS groups were fed on basal diets containing 0% and 1% ROS, respectively. The TEB and ROS + TEB groups were subjected to TEB (0.52 mg/L) and given diets identical to those of the control and ROS groups. TEB exposure reduced the growth by reducing the final weight, weight gain, feed intake, average daily weight gain, and specific growth rate (p < 0.001), while increasing the feed conversion ratio and mortality (37.50%) (p < 0.001) of Nile tilapia. TEB exposure lowered the activities of digestive enzymes (trypsin, lipase, and amylase) and the serum level of growth hormone (p < 0.001), while increasing the leptin level (p < 0.001). TEB toxicity triggered oxidative stress through the elevation of malondialdehyde levels (p < 0.001), the reduction of total antioxidant capacity (p < 0.001), and the inhibition of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities (p < 0.001). The intestinal expression of nutrient transporters (solute carrier 15a1a and solute carrier 4a4) was down-regulated (p < 0.001), while the expression of pro-inflammatory (interleukin-6 and interleukin-8) and apoptotic (Bcl-2-associated X protein) genes was elevated as a result of TEB exposure (p < 0.001). TEB toxicity induced histological lesions in the intestine of the fish such as necrosis of the mucosal epithelium and oedema with infiltration of inflammatory cells (p < 0.001), along with reduced villus length (p < 0.001) and villus surface area (p < 0.001). ROS dietary intervention improved Nile tilapia growth (p < 0.05) and digestive enzyme activities (p < 0.001). ROS improved the antioxidant capacity (p < 0.05) and restored the intestinal histomorphology and gene expression (p < 0.001). Overall, ROS fortification at a level of 1% is recommended for Nile tilapia especially during TEB exposure.

Effects of dietary Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) supplementation on immune response, antioxidant status, and disease resistance in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Dietary Folic Acid Modulates Growth Performance, Expression of Antioxidant- and Immune-Related Genes, and Response to Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease in Pacific White Shrimp (Penaeus vannamei)

This study evaluated the effects of dietary folic acid supplementation on growth performance, antioxidant- and immune-related gene expression, and the response to acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) in Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). Juveniles (12 shrimp per tank; four replicate tanks per treatment) were fed diets containing nominal supplemental folic acid levels of 0, 2, 5, or 10 mg kg−1 for 35 days, and 30 shrimp per dietary treatment (three replicate aquaria; 10 shrimp per aquarium) were subsequently challenged with an AHPND-causing strain of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Among the supplementation levels evaluated, the 5 mg kg−1 diet produced the highest final weight (14.8 ± 0.5 g), weight gain (7.9 ± 0.3 g), a specific growth rate (2.14 ± 0.1% day−1), and the lowest apparent feed conversion ratio (1.3 ± 0.1), whereas the Control showed values of 12.3 ± 0.7 g, 5.4 ± 0.3 g, 1.6 ± 0.1% day−1, and 1.6 ± 0.1, respectively (p ≤ 0.05). Dietary folic acid modulated the relative expression of antioxidant-related genes (SOD, CAT, and GPX) in the gills and hepatopancreas and altered basal and post-challenge expression of the immune-related genes ALFP, CTL3, GILT, MNK, and SR in the gills. At 72 h post-challenge, final cumulative mortality differed among treatments (F3,8 = 5.405, p = 0.025), with lower mortality in T5 (36.7 ± 7.6%) than in the Control (53.3 ± 2.9%; Tukey, p = 0.022). These findings indicate that dietary folic acid supplementation influenced growth performance, challenge outcomes, and transcriptional responses in juvenile Penaeus vannamei. Among the supplementation levels evaluated, the 5 mg kg−1 diet consistently produced the most favorable combination of growth performance, lower final challenge mortality, and modulation of antioxidant- and immune-related gene expression.

Dietary parsley seed powder attenuates acrylamide-waterborne toxicity hazards on growth, redox status, immunity and gene regulations in Oreochromis niloticus.

This study evaluated the protective role of dietary parsley seed powder (PSP) against acrylamide (ACR) toxicity in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). A total of 200 juvenile fish (15.98 ± 0.01 g) were randomly assigned to four dietary groups (0.0, 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 g PSP/kg diet) and exposed for 56 days to a sublethal ACR concentration (3.46 mg/L). Throughout the experiment, growth performance, blood biochemical indices, immune responses, oxidative stress biomarkers, digestive enzyme activities, histopathology and hepatic gene expression were thoroughly assessed. The results revealed that PSP supplementation, particularly at 10.0 g/kg, significantly improved final body weight, body weight gained, daily weight gain and survival rate (p ≤ 0.05), while reducing feed conversion ratio significantly at 2.5 g/kg (p ≤ 0.001). Moreover, blood AST activity was significantly decreased in the 5.0 and 10.0 g/kg groups (p ≤ 0.01), accompanied by significantly elevated total protein and albumin (p < 0.01), and reduced uric acid and creatinine levels (p ≤ 0.001), indicating hepatoprotective and nephroprotective effects. Additionally, PSP exerted anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, as evidenced by significantly reduced serum tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels (p ≤ 0.001) and increased glutathione (GSH) concentration (p ≤ 0.05), especially in the 10.0 g/kg group. Digestive enzymes (amylase and pepsin) exhibited a significant increase at all PSP levels (p ≤ 0.05 or 0.01), with the highest levels observed in the DP3 group (10.0 g PSP/kg diet). Histopathological evaluation indicated a dose-dependent attenuation of intestinal and hepatopancreatic alterations with increasing PSP levels, as evidenced by reduced lesion severity, decreased necrotic changes and better preservation of tissue architecture. Furthermore, gene expression analysis revealed significant downregulation of cysteine-aspartic acid protease-3 (caspase-3) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha 2 (tnf-2α) genes (p ≤ 0.01) and upregulation of insulin-like growth factor 1 (igf-1) and growth hormone (gh) (p ≤ 0.01) genes in the 10.0 g/kg group, indicating enhanced growth and cellular resilience. In conclusion, dietary PSP at 10.0 g/kg significantly alleviates ACR toxicity by enhancing physiological, biochemical, immunological and molecular responses in Nile tilapia.

EVALUATION OF PLANT EXTRACTS FROM BANANA LEAVES AGAINST AEROMONAS HYDROPHILA INFECTION IN NILE TILAPIA (Oreochromis niloticus)

This study investigated the pathogenic effects of Aeromonas hydrophila on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings under controlled experimental conditions at the University Fish Farm, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Nigeria. Sixty tilapia fingerlings were sourced from Armana Fish Farm and acclimatized for two weeks in polythene tanks, receiving commercial Coppens feed (42% crude protein) twice daily. Fish were randomly assigned into four groups: uninfected control (UNC), infected positive control (IPC), infected-treated with basal diet (ITB), and infected-treated with extract-incorporated diet (ITC). The infection protocol involved intraperitoneal injection of A. hydrophila at a dose of 1×107 CFU/mL, determined through LD50 testing, which established 10^5 CFU/mL as the lethal dose for 50% mortality. Growth performance and survival parameters revealed significant differences among groups. The IPC group recorded the highest final body weight (40.54 ± 0.31 g) but exhibited the lowest survival rate (30.00 ± 0.00%) and highest mortality (70.00 ± 0.00%), reflecting survivorship bias. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) and specific growth rate (SGR) did not differ significantly across treatments. Haematological indices showed limited variation, with only packed cell volume (PCV) differing significantly; ITC recorded lower PCV (17.00 ± 0.21%) compared to ITB (19.00 ± 0.18%). White blood cell count, haemoglobin concentration, red blood cell count, and bacterial load count exhibited non-significant differences, though numerical trends were observed. These findings highlight the complex interaction between infection pressure, survival rate, and dietary intervention, suggesting that while growth metrics may appear enhanced under infection, survival outcomes provide a more reliable measure of treatment efficacy.

Growth, physiological, antioxidants, and immune response of heteroclarias catfish fingerlings, to dietary Moringa oleifera leaves extract and its susceptibility to Aeromonas hydrophila infection

Moringa oleifera leaves are an important phytobiotic agent due to their growth-promoting, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. Thus, it has become a spicy and disease-control agent in traditional medicine. In this study, Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MOLE) was fed to hybrid catfish (Heteroclarias, Clarias gariepinus ♀ × Heterobranchus longifilis ♂) to evaluate its effects on growth, hematological parameters, liver enzyme activity, antioxidant capacity, immunity and susceptibility to Aeromonas hydrophila infection. Fish (n = 300 fish, mean weight 9.3 ± 0.2 g) were fed diets supplemented with 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 g MOLE/kg diet for 56 days. Thereafter, fish were challenged with molecularly characterized A. hydrophila (ATCC 4356; 5.0 × 105 CFU/mL) infection for 14 days. Growth performance and feed intake of heteroclarias were significantly (p < 0.05) promoted with an increase in MOLE levels with an optimum of 1.25 g MOLE/kg. It was noticed that final body weight, specific growth rate, and feed intake were increased with an increase in MOLE levels, and they are highly correlated. More so, dietary MOLE significantly evoked (p < 0.05) hematological profiles and antioxidant profiles of heteroclarias than the control group. Alanine aminotransferase was significantly reduced in fish fed MOLE-based diets compared to the fish fed a control diet, with their least value (27.27 IU/L) observed in fish fed a diet with 1.5 g MOLE/kg, while the highest was recorded in fish fed a control diet (32.03 IU/L). Also, non-specific immune profiles were greatly promoted by dietary supplementation. Additionally, fish survival post A. hydrophila infection was higher in fish fed a 2.0 g MOLE/kg diet (96.33%) than those fed a control diet (46.67%). This study revealed that MOLE administration enhanced the growth performance (linearly and quadratically), antioxidant (linearly), and innate immunity (linearly and quadratically) profiles of heteroclarias with an optimum level of 1.35 g/kg of diet. Likewise, its addition to the diets evoked the survival of fish against A. hydrophila infection.