Abstract: |
Abstract: Microalgae are rich in bioactive compounds including pigments, proteins, lipids, polyunsaturated
fatty acids, carbohydrates, and vitamins. Due to their non-toxic and nutritious characteristics,
these are suggested as important food for many aquatic animals. Dunaliella salina is a well-known microalga
that accumulates valuable amounts of carotenoids. We investigated whether it could restore
the metabolic equilibrium and mitigate the hepatic inflammation induced by zinc oxide nanoparticles
(ZnO-NPs) using male zebrafish which were exposed to 1/5th 96 h-LC50 for 4 weeks, followed by
dietary supplementation with D. salina at two concentrations (15% and 30%) for 2 weeks. Collectively,
ZnO-NPs affected fish appetite, whole body composition, hepatic glycogen and lipid contents, intestinal
bacterial and Aeromonas counts, as well as hepatic tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-). In addition,
the mRNA expression of genes related to gluconeogenesis (pck1, gys2, and g6pc3), lipogenesis (srepf1,
acaca, fasn, and cd36), and inflammatory response (tnf-a, tnf-b, nf-kb2) were modulated. D. salina
reduced the body burden of zinc residues, restored the fish appetite and normal liver architecture,
and mitigated the toxic impacts of ZnO-NPs on whole-body composition, intestinal bacteria, energy
metabolism, and hepatic inflammatory markers. Our results revealed that the administration of D.
salina might be effective in neutralizing the hepatotoxic effects of ZnO-NPs in the zebrafish model.
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