Urtica dioica Extract Abrogates Chlorpyrifos-Induced Toxicity in Zebrafish Larvae.

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is a widely used organophosphate insecticide, though its excessive use causes environmental contamination, raising concerns about its adverse effects on human health. In this regard, Urtica dioica stands out as a promising candidate for counteracting chemical 'contaminant' toxicity thanks to its therapeutic properties. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the potential of an Urtica dioica ethanolic extract (UDE) to mitigate chlorpyrifos-induced toxicity. Eight compounds in the Urtica dioica ethanolic extract have been identified, most of which present significant potential as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective agents. Chlorpyrifos exposure altered hatching rates, increased the incidence of teratogenic effects, and upregulated the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) in zebrafish larvae telencephalon. On the other hand, UDE demonstrated a preventive effect against CPF-induced teratogenicity, which is expressed by a lower morphological deformity rate. Moreover, the UDE showed a rather protective effect, maintaining the physiological condition of the telencephalon. Additionally, CPF altered the locomotor behavior of larvae, which was characterized by irregular swimming and increased activity. This defective behavioral pattern was slightly attenuated by the UDE. Our findings suggest that the UDE possesses significant protective properties against CPF-induced toxicity, probably conferred by its natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory contents. Still, further research is needed to elucidate the recruited mechanisms and implicated pathways on UDE's protective effects.

Skeletal Morphogenesis and Anomalies in Gilthead Seabream: A Comprehensive Review.

The gilthead seabream, one of the most important species in Mediterranean aquaculture, with an increasing status of exploitation in terms of production volume and aquafarming technologies, has become an important research topic over the years. The accumulation of knowledge from several studies conducted during recent decades on their functional and biological characteristics has significantly improved their aquacultural aspects, namely their reproductive success, survival, and growth. Despite the remarkable progress in the aquaculture industry, hatchery conditions are still far from ideal, resulting in frequent abnormalities at the beginning of intensive culture, entailing significant economic losses. Those deformities are induced during the embryonic and post-embryonic periods of life, and their development is still poorly understood. In the present review, we created a comprehensive synthesis that covers the various aspects of skeletal morphogenesis and anomalies in the gilthead seabream, highlighting the genetic, environmental, and nutritional factors contributing to bone deformities and emphasized the potential of the gilthead seabream as a model organism for understanding bone morphogenesis in both aquaculture and translational biological research. This review article addresses the existing lack in the literature regarding gilthead seabream bone deformities, as there are currently no comprehensive reviews on this subject.

Rice protein concentrate as a fish meal substitute in Oreochromis niloticus: Effects on immune response, intestinal cytokines, Aeromonas veronii resistance, and gut microbiota composition.

The potential of rice protein concentrate (RPC) to substitute fishmeal (FM) protein in the diet of Oreochromis niloticus was assessed in a five-month-long feeding trial. Fishmeal protein was replaced by RPC at rates of 0% (control), 25%, 50%, and 75% (RPC0, RPC25, RPC50, and RPC75, respectively). RPC25 had no significant effect on antioxidant capacity (total antioxidant capacity; superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities) and immune indices (lysozyme, nitric oxide, antiprotease, and bactericidal activities) after one, two, and five months of feeding, while the values for these parameters were significantly lower in the RPC75 group compared to those in the RPC0 group. The RPC25 group showed higher mRNA levels of the intestinal cytokines IL-1ß, IL-10ß, TGF-ß, and TNF-α than the control group. In fish affected by Aeromonas veronii, the highest significant cumulative mortality was recorded in the RPC75 group, followed by the RPC50, RPC25, and control groups. Gut microbiome analyses showed a reduction in microbial diversity in response to the addition of RPC, regardless of the RPC content, and the composition of the community of the RPC samples differed from that of the control. RPC-enriched diets resulted in higher relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and Fusobacteria in the gut compared to that in the gut of the control fish. In summary, RPC can be used to replace up to 25% of the FM protein in the diet of O. niloticus, while improving the antioxidant capacity, immunocompetence, and disease resistance of the fish.

A comparative metabolomic investigation of different sections of Sicilian Citrus x limon (L.) Osbeck, characterization of bioactive metabolites, and evaluation of in vivo toxicity on zebrafish embryo.

Citrus fruits are a diverse and economically important group of fruit crops known for their distinctive flavors and high nutritional value. Their cultivation and consumption contribute significantly to the global agricultural economy and offer a wide range of health benefits. Among the genetic diversity of citrus species, Citrus x limon (L.) Osbeck is particularly relevant due to its chemical composition and potential health benefits. Two cultivars from the Sicily region (southern Italy) were compared for their phenolic content and preliminary antioxidant activity to select the distinctive extract with potential biological activity. A detailed characterization revealed the occurrence of phenolics, coumarins, and flavonoids. The quantification of metabolites contained in the selected extract was performed by an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatographic method coupled with an ultraviolet detector. Different concentrations were tested in vivo through the fish embryo acute toxicity test, and the 50% lethal dose of 107,833 µg mL-1 was calculated. Finally, the effect of the extract on hatching was evaluated, and a dose-dependent relationship with the accelerated hatching rate was reported, suggesting a Femminello Zagara Bianca green peel upregulating effect on the hatching enzymes. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Citrus fruits and their products continue to be one of the natural food sources with the highest waste output. In this study, we demonstrate how food industry waste, particularly lemon peel, is rich in bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that may be used in the nutraceuticals industry.

Influence of Hermetia illucens Larvae Meal Dietary Inclusion on Growth Performance, Gut Histological Traits and Stress Parameters in Sparus aurata.

This study provided new data and knowledge on the potential use of Hermetia illucens meal (HIM) as a new sustainable ingredient for Sparus aurata diet. The effect of HIM dietary inclusion on fish growth performance, stress indicators and gut histology was studied. For 131 days, 312 fish were fed a basal diet containing fishmeal as animal protein source, and three diets containing 25%, 35% and 50% HIM as a partial replacement for fishmeal. The main findings indicated that fishmeal can be replaced by HIM up to 110 g/kg of substitution (35% of inclusion in diet) without negative effects on growth performance, stress parameters or histological traits of the posterior gut tract, and with positive effects (p < 0.05) on the histological and morphometric characteristics of the anterior gut tract. At the same time, the results showed that the effect of Hermetia illucens meal at 50% inclusion level caused morphometric and histopathological alterations in the anterior gut tract of seabream. In conclusion, this preliminary study suggested that the dietary inclusion level of HIM35 was the most tolerated by fish showing the best gut morphometric parameters and histological conditions, with fewer signs of inflammation, as well as good nutritional and health status.

Zebrafish: A Model Deciphering the Impact of Flavonoids on Neurodegenerative Disorders.

Over the past century, advances in biotechnology, biochemistry, and pharmacognosy have spotlighted flavonoids, polyphenolic secondary metabolites that have the ability to modulate many pathways involved in various biological mechanisms, including those involved in neuronal plasticity, learning, and memory. Moreover, flavonoids are known to impact the biological processes involved in developing neurodegenerative diseases, namely oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Thus, several flavonoids could be used as adjuvants to prevent and counteract neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Zebrafish is an interesting model organism that can offer new opportunities to study the beneficial effects of flavonoids on neurodegenerative diseases. Indeed, the high genome homology of 70% to humans, the brain organization largely similar to the human brain as well as the similar neuroanatomical and neurochemical processes, and the high neurogenic activity maintained in the adult brain makes zebrafish a valuable model for the study of human neurodegenerative diseases and deciphering the impact of flavonoids on those disorders.