Toxicity, inflammatory and antioxidant genes expression, and physiological changes of green synthesis silver nanoparticles on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings

Wafaa A A Mansour; Nader R Abdelsalam; Mahmoud Tanekhy; Asmaa A Khaled; Abdallah Tageldein Mansour

doi:10.1016/j.cbpc.2021.109068

Toxicity, inflammatory and antioxidant genes expression, and physiological changes of green synthesis silver nanoparticles on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings

Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. 2021 Sep:247:109068. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2021.109068. Epub 2021 Apr 26.

Authors

Wafaa A A Mansour¹, Nader R Abdelsalam¹, Mahmoud Tanekhy², Asmaa A Khaled³, Abdallah Tageldein Mansour⁴

Affiliations

¹ Agricultural Botany Department, Faculty of Agriculture (Saba Basha), Alexandria University, 21531 Alexandria, Egypt.
² Fish Diseases Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. Electronic address: mahmod.amer@alexu.edu.eg.
³ Fish and Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture (Saba Basha), Alexandria University, 21531 Alexandria, Egypt.
⁴ Animal and Fish Production Department, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 420, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia; Fish and Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture (Saba Basha), Alexandria University, 21531 Alexandria, Egypt. Electronic address: amansour@kfu.edu.sa.

PMID: 33915277
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2021.109068

Abstract

The rapid increase of incorporating silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) in different anthropogenic and industrial activities increased the discharge of these particles in the aquatic ecosystem. The environmental impact of Ag-NPs, especially the green synthesized is still not completely understood on fish. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of exposure to graded series of starch-mediated Ag-NPs at levels of 0, 3.31, 6.63, 13.25, and 26.50 mg L^-1 representing 0, 6.25, 12.5, 25, and 50% of LC₅₀ on Nile tilapia (O. niloticus), respectively. Fish with initial weight 37.63 ± 0.41 g were maintained in 70 L glass aquaria and exposed to starch-mediated Ag-NPs (average particle size 40 nm) for 28 days. The results revealed that starch-mediated Ag-NPs induced severe changes in the mRNA levels of toxicity (CYP1A and Hsp70) and inflammatory (TNF-α and TGF-β) genes. The expression of antioxidant genes (SOD and CAT) was significantly suppressed, and the activities of their enzymes were inhibited significantly upon exposure. Simultaneously, the malondialdehyde level increased significantly with increasing the exposure levels of starch-mediated Ag-NPs. The red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit and white blood cell values were decreased significantly with doses over 3.31 mg L^-1 of Ag-NPs. In addition, the total protein and globulin decreased significantly with increasing Ag-NPs in a dose-dependent manner. The liver function enzymes and kidney function indicators revealed severe toxicity with Ag-NPs exposure. In conclusion, the effect of starch-mediated Ag-NPs in doses over 3.31 mg L^-1 induced obvious toxicity in the molecular and proteomic levels in Nile tilapia fingerlings.

Keywords: Green synthesized Ag-NPs; Inflammatory; Nile tilapia; Oxidative stress; Physiological responses; Toxicity.

MeSH terms

Animals
Cichlids / metabolism*
Green Chemistry Technology / methods
Metal Nanoparticles / toxicity*
Oxidative Stress / drug effects
Silver / toxicity*
Water Pollutants, Chemical / toxicity*

Substances

Water Pollutants, Chemical
Silver