Search Results (25)

The food industry widely uses dyes from animal and plant sources, but their discharge into water bodies can harm aquatic animals. Red food dyes increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, disrupting redox homeostasis in Artemia franciscana nauplii, although the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we exposed Artemia franciscana cysts for 48 h to three different red dyes: E124 (synthetic), E120 (animal-based) or Vegan red (plant-based) and evaluated the oxidative metabolism and redox status in the hatched nauplii. Only E120 and VEG increased oxygen consumption. E124 and VEG increased mitochondrial Complex I activity, while all dyes enhanced the activity of Complex III. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and NADPH oxidase activity were increased by all red dyes. E120 and E124 increased antioxidant enzyme activity to a greater extent than VEG. Additionally, only E120 and E124 increased total antioxidant capacity. Nevertheless, E124 exposure induced redox imbalance (increased lipid and protein oxidative damage). Our data, as a whole, allow us to conclude that red dyes can influence the oxidative capacity and redox state of Artemia franciscana nauplii with more harmful effects in the presence of E124, thus drawing attention to their potentially severe influence on aquatic life. Full article

Caulerpin, a bis-indole alkaloid isolated from Caulerpa racemosa, has several documented pharmacological activities, including antineoplastic and antiviral properties. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and anti-tubercular potentials of caulerpin and its analogues in RAW 264.7 macrophages infected with Mycobacterium spp. Additionally, we evaluated cytokine production and NLRP3 expression in this infection model. Toxicity tests were performed using Vero E6 and HepG2 cell lines and Artemia salina. Pre-incubation of RAW 264.7 cells with caulerpin and its analogues decreased internalized M. smegmatis and M. tuberculosis H37Ra. Furthermore, treatment of M. smegmatis-infected macrophages with caulerpin and its analogues reduced bacterial loads. Caulerpin reduced the CFU count of internalized bacilli in the M. tuberculosis H37Ra infection model. In addition, caulerpin and its diethyl derivative were notably found to modulate IL-1β and TNF-α production in the M. smegmatis infection model after quantifying pro-inflammatory cytokines and NLRP3. Caulerpin and its derivates did not affect the viability of Vero E6 and HepG2 cell lines or nauplii survival in toxicity studies. These findings demonstrate that caulerpin and its analogues exhibit anti-inflammatory activity against Mycobacterium spp. infection in RAW 264.7 macrophages and show promising potential for further efficacy and safety evaluation. Full article

Harmful algal blooms are an expanding phenomenon negatively impacting human health, socio-economic welfare, and ecosystems. Such events increase the risk of marine organisms’ exposure to algal toxins with consequent ecological effects. In this frame, the objective of this study was to investigate the ecotoxicological potential of three globally distributed dinoflagellate toxins (okadaic acid, OA; dinophysistoxin-1, DTX-1; dinophysistoxin-2, DTX-2) using Artemia franciscana as a model organism of marine zooplankton. Each toxin (0.1–100 nM) was evaluated for its toxic effects in terms of cyst hatching, mortality of nauplii Instar I and adults, and biochemical responses related to oxidative stress. At the highest concentration (100 nM), these toxins significantly increased adults’ mortality starting from 24 h (DTX-1), 48 h (OA), or 72 h (DTX-2) exposures, DTX-1 being the most potent one, followed by OA and DTX-2. The quantitation of oxidative stress biomarkers in adults, i.e., reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and activity of three endogenous antioxidant defense enzymes (glutathione S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase) showed that only DTX-2 significantly increased ROS production, whereas each toxin affected the antioxidant enzymes with a different activity profile. In general, the results indicate a negative impact of these toxins towards A. franciscana with potential consequences on the marine ecosystem. Full article

The inherent deficiency of phospholipids in Artemia limits its nutritional value as live prey for marine fish larvae. In our previous study, we optimized a phospholipid enrichment method by incubating Artemia nauplii with 10 g of soybean lecithin per m³ of seawater for 12 h, significantly enhancing their phospholipid content. Purpose: The present study evaluated the impact of this enrichment on yellow drum (Nibea albiflora) larvae, focusing on growth performance, intestinal morphology, body composition, weaning success, and desiccation stress resistance. Methods: The larvae (12 days post-hatching, dph) were fed either soybean lecithin-enriched (SL group) or newly hatched (NH group) Artemia nauplii for 10 days. Results: By the end of the experiment, the SL group exhibited a markedly greater body weight and standard length compared to the NH group (p < 0.05). This growth improvement was due to enhanced intestinal morphology, characterized by a significantly higher mucosal fold height, microvillus density, and microvillus length (p < 0.05). Intestinal RNA sequencing identified 160 upregulated and 447 downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the SL group compared to the NH group. Soybean lecithin enrichment reduced the expression of lipogenesis-related genes (fasn, scd, elovl1) while upregulating lipid catabolism genes (ppara, cpt1, cpt2), indicating increased lipid breakdown and energy production. After a 5-day weaning period onto a commercial microdiet, the SL group continued to show significantly superior growth performance. In an afterward desiccation stress test, larvae from the SL group demonstrated significantly higher survival rates, potentially due to the decreased expression of intestinal cytokine genes (ccl13, mhc1, mhc2) observed in the RNA-seq analysis. Conclusions: This study highlights that feeding soybean lecithin-enriched Artemia nauplii enhances growth performance and desiccation stress in yellow drum larvae by promoting lipid catabolism, improving intestinal structure, and regulating immune responses. Full article

The dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) is a vulnerable predatory fish found in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and in the Mediterranean Sea. This study investigates the movement patterns of grouper larvae (151 individuals) during their first feeding period (three to ten days post hatching) through laboratory experiments offering rotifers (Brachionus sp.) and copepod nauplii as food. High-speed cameras and imaging techniques including bright field microscopy, matched filters, and holography captured rapid displacements (up to 25 body lengths per second), peduncle caudal beats (up to 40 beats s⁻¹), turns, and resting periods. Reynolds numbers ranged from <45 for routine swimming to 222 for burst swimming. Specific behaviors, including changes in swimming velocity and body movements, were observed from three days post hatching, when feeding begins, suggestive of an array of responses to environmental forcing, predator avoidance, food search, and feeding success. These findings provide insights into the critical movement performances of E. marginatus larvae, which help to unravel their ecological interactions and survival strategies. Understanding grouper larval swimming behavior is pivotal for devising effective cultivation strategies aimed at replenishing wild stocks and enhancing production for human consumption. Full article

Argemone mexicana L. has been used in traditional Mexican medicine. Among its bioactive constituents, berberine (BER) has garnered attention for its cytotoxic properties against different tumor cell lines. This study investigates the in vitro toxicity against HEP-G2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma) and murine lymphoma (L5178Y-R) cells using the MTT assay of the methanol extract (AmexM), sub-partitions of A. mexicana, and BER. Selectivity indices (SIs) were determined by comparing their cytotoxic effects on VERO (monkey kidney epithelial) and PBMC (human peripheral blood mononuclear) non-tumoral cells. Additionally, the anti-hemolytic effect of these treatments was assessed using the AAPH method. The treatment with the most promising activity against tumor cells and anti-hemolytic efficacy underwent further evaluation for toxicity in Artemia salina and antioxidant activities using DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. BER demonstrated an IC₅₀ = 56.86 µg/mL in HEP-G2 cells and IC₅₀ < 5.0 µg/mL in L5178Y-R cells, with SI values of 15.97 and >5.40 in VERO and PBMC cells, respectively. No significant hemolytic effects were observed, although AmexM and BER exhibited the highest anti-hemolytic activity. BER also demonstrated superior antioxidant efficacy, with lower toxicity in A. salina nauplii compared to the control. Additionally, BER significantly attenuated nitric oxide production. This study highlights the antiproliferative effects of A. mexicana, particularly BER, against HEP-G2 and L5178Y-R tumor cell lines, along with its selectivity towards normal cells. Furthermore, its anti-hemolytic and antioxidant potentials were demonstrated, suggesting that BER is a promising candidate for potent chemotherapeutic agents. Full article

The use of marine invertebrates in ecotoxicology is important for an integrated approach which takes into consideration physiological responses and chemical levels in environmental matrices. Standard protocols have been developed and organisms belonging to different trophic levels are needed as model organisms to evaluate toxicant bioavailability and assess their impact on marine biota. The calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa is commonly used in ecotoxicology due to its widespread distribution and well-studied biology. However, different strains coming from various geographical areas are available, and possible variations in physiological characteristics raise concerns about the comparability of ecotoxicological results. This study compares the life cycle assessment and sensitivity of Adriatic and Baltic strains of A. tonsa exposed to nickel (Ni²⁺) in standardized acute and semi-chronic tests. Life cycle assessments revealed differences in egg production, egg-hatching success, and naupliar viability between the strains. The acute toxicity test demonstrated the significantly higher sensitivity of Adriatic strain nauplii to Ni²⁺ compared to the Baltic strain, whereas the semi-chronic test showed no significant difference in sensitivity between the strains. These findings suggest that while strain-specific differences exist in different geographical populations, responses to toxicants are not significantly different. Particularly, the semi-chronic assessments with both A. tonsa strains emphasized the robustness of this species as a model organism in ecotoxicology. Full article

The effects of the intensification on the performance of the Amazon River prawn hatchery carried out in a simple recirculation system were investigated. Newly hatched larvae were stocked in 120 L tanks at 80, 100, 120 and 140 larvae L⁻¹ in a closed recirculating system. The experiment used a randomized block design with five replicates. An exponential equation was adjusted to express the relationship between the stocking density and productivity (postlarvae L⁻¹). The development, larval quality, survival and postlarval (PL) dry weight did not significantly differ among the treatments (p > 0.05). When 80 larvae were stocked, the productivity (54 ± 11 PL L⁻¹) was lower than those at higher densities (p < 0.05). Stocking 120 and 140 larvae L⁻¹ resulted in higher productivities (75 ± 18 and 80 ± 17 PL L⁻¹, respectively) with a lower use of Artemia nauplii to produce each postlarvae (~1200 Artemia nauplii PL⁻¹). The maximum mean M. amazonicum postlarval production estimated by the exponential model was 93 PL L⁻¹. This means that despite the increase in stocking density, productivity tends to stabilize. The results showed that M. amazonicum tolerates high intensification in recirculating hatchery systems based on a crushed shell bed biofilter, and the intensification optimizes Artemia use. Full article

Lipoic acid (LA) is a mitochondrial coenzyme that, depending on the concentration and exposure time, can behave as an antioxidant or pro-oxidant agent and has a proven ability to modulate metabolism by promoting lipid and glucose oxidation for energy production. To assess the effects of LA on energy metabolism and redox balance over time, Artemia sp. nauplii was used as an animal model. The administered concentrations of the antioxidant were 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0, and 10.0 µM. Therefore, possible differences in protein, triglyceride, glucose, and lactate concentrations in the artemia samples and total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN) in the culture water were evaluated. We also measured the effects of LA on in vivo activity of the electron transport system (ETS), antioxidant capacity, and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at 6, 12, 18, and 24 h post-hatching. There was a decrease in glucose concentration in the LA-treated animals, and a decrease in ammonia production was observed in the 0.5 µM LA treatment. ETS activity was positively regulated by the addition of LA, with the most significant effects at concentrations of 5.0 and 10.0 µM at 12 and 24 h. For ETS activity, treatments with LA presented the highest values at 24 h, a period when ROS production decreased significantly, for the treatment with 10.0 µM. LA showed positive regulation of energy metabolism together with a decrease in ROS and TAN excretion. Full article

We measured the monthly egg production rate (EPR) of Paracalanus parvus s. l. (P. parvus) at a fixed station in Busan Harbor from January 2020 to December 2021 to elucidate the seasonal variation in the EPR and the factors involved. Over the 2 years, the monthly EPR ranged from 0.5 to 47.0 eggs female⁻¹ d⁻¹ (average 13.3 eggs female⁻¹ d⁻¹). The seasonal mean EPR was high in spring (April to June) and summer (July to September) and low in autumn (October to December) in both years. Egg hatching success was high (average 94%). Monthly nauplii production in the P. parvus population ranged from 9 to 37,123 ind. m⁻³ d⁻¹ (average 4605 ind. m⁻³ d⁻¹), with a peak in March and May in 2020 and in April in 2021. The monthly EPR of P. parvus was more dependent on chlorophyll-a concentration than on water temperature. Nauplii production was dependent on the abundance of adult females, while the chlorophyll-a concentration had a positive effect on nauplii production. In this study, while there was no clear seasonal variation in the abundance of adult females, the EPR showed a clear pattern of seasonal variation. These results imply that for monitoring potential environmental changes in Busan Harbor, measuring the EPR of copepods may be a better indicator than copepod abundance. Full article

Optimizing the initial live feed is critical to success in fish larviculture in terms of both larval health and productivity. It is also vitally important due to the significant cost of provisioning live feeds. Glaxiids are high-value diadromous fish species found in parts of the Southern Hemisphere, which are wild-harvested and sold for human consumption in their larval form. In the emerging aquaculture of galaxiids, the live feed makes up a great proportion of the production cycle and is therefore a significant factor in achieving the economic viability of their production. In New Zealand, the endemic galaxiid species giant kōkopu (Galaxias argenteus) is considered suitable for aquaculture; however, little is known of their larval-feeding requirements. This study compares the growth performance and survival of giant kōkopu larvae over a four-week period when fed different proportions of first-molt Artemia nauplii (instar-I) and enriched, second-molt-onward Artemia (instar-II+) for different durations. The larvae in the treatment group which received the greatest proportion of Instar-I Artemia for the longest duration had the lowest mean wet weight and survival, leading to the production of the lowest total biomass of fish larvae when compared to the other feed treatments. The feed treatment that received only instar-II+ Artemia achieved an equally best total productivity. While the treatment fed a partial initial duration of mixed instar-I and instar-II+ Artemia achieved the same total productivity, the individual larvae were heavier and their body length was longer. The latter feed treatment appears to offer the best balance between the availability of feed particles in the optimum size range and a higher level of digestibility given that instar-I Artemia had higher levels of highly unsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Full article

Blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia mikimotoi cause devastation to marine life, including declines of fitness and population recruitment. However, little is known about the effects of them on benthic copepods. Here, we assessed the acute and chronic effects of K. mikimotoi on the marine benthic copepod Tigriopus japonicus. Results showed that adult females maintained high survival (>85%) throughout 14-d incubation, but time-dependent reduction of survival was detected in the highest K. mikimotoi concentration, and nauplii and copepodites were more vulnerable compared to adults. Ingestion of K. mikimotoi depressed the grazing of copepods but significantly induced the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), total antioxidant capacity, activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase), and acetylcholinesterase. Under sublethal concentrations for two generations, K. mikimotoi reduced the fitness of copepods by prolonging development time and decreasing successful development rate, egg production, and the number of clutches. Our findings suggest that the bloom of K. mikimotoi may threaten copepod population recruitment, and its adverse effects are associated with oxidative stress. Full article

The locally isolated harpacticoid copepods Tigriopus sp. and Tisbe holothuriae were subjected to salinity tolerance experimentation at salinities under and above of 40 ppt, and presented high halotolerances in Tigriopus LC50 (24 h) of 1 ± 4.43 ppt and 132 ± 5.35 ppt, respectively, and in Tisbe of 15 ± 2.41 ppt and 93 ± 3.23 ppt, respectively. Tetraselmis suecica, among other microalgal feeds (Asteromonas gracilis, Rhodomonas salina, Dunaliella salina and Isochrysis galbana), resulted in the higher production of nauplii in Tigriopus and R. salina and D. salina in Tisbe (also close to T. suecica in Tigriopus). The demographics (number of nauplii, egg sacs, completion of hatching) of both copepods, using combinations of salinities in the range of 22–60 ppt and D. salina and R. salina as feeds, exhibited almost the same preference for microalgae but were negatively affected by the salinity of 60 ppt. The present experiments showed that these local copepods that have extreme salinity tolerance and a wide preference for easily cultured microalgae can be used in ecological studies and for mass production as live feed in marine fish hatcheries. Full article

Juice processing by non-thermal technology has been extensively studied, aiming at microbial inactivation and quality improvement. However, the knowledge about the possible toxic effects that those technologies can produce in foodstuffs due to the production of reactive oxygen species is still unknown. In this study, sapota-do-Solimões juice processed by ultrasound (2, 6, and 10 min) was evaluated by a toxicity test and protective effect through stress biomarkers (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and lipid peroxidation) using Artemia salina nauplii. The non-thermal processed juice was nontoxic to A. salina. However, the juice fibers imparted some damage to the animal’s body. The ultrasound-processed juice (2 and 6 min) decreased the A. salina mortality to 30% compared to the control assay with H₂O₂ where mortality was 80% after 48 h of exposure. However, after 72 h of exposure, the A. salina was entirely degraded by H₂O₂-induced toxicity. Furthermore, the catalase and superoxide dismutase presented the highest activity after A. salina was exposed to the unprocessed juice. Thus, sapota-do-Solimões juice processed by the ultrasound could promote a protective effect on A. salina, revealing this technology’s potential to enhance juice features without toxicity. Full article

The growing environmental spreading of food synthetic dyes and bio-colors have the potential for altering organisms’ redox states. Here, three model species for aquatic pollution trials, Cucumis sativus seeds, Artemia salina cysts, and Danio rerio embryos, were short-term exposed to a fixed concentration of the artificial red E124, and two red bio-colors, cochineal E120, and vegan red (VEGR). In the animal models, we evaluated the total reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the susceptibility to in vitro oxidative stress, and in C. sativus, H₂O₂ production and antioxidant capacity. We also measured organismal performance indices (routine oxygen consumption in the animal models, dark oxygen consumption, and photosynthetic efficiency in C. sativus). In C. sativus, only E124 increased ROS and affected dark oxygen consumption and photosynthetic efficiency, while all dyes enhanced the antioxidant defenses. In the A. salina nauplii, all dyes increased ROS, while E120 and E124 reduced the susceptibility to oxidative stress. In D. rerio, treatments did not affect ROS content, and reduced oxidative stress susceptibility. Our data show that red food dyes affect the redox state of the developing organisms, in which ROS plays a significant role. We suggest a potentially toxic role for red food dyes with environmentally relevant consequences. Full article