Amelioration of Cd-induced bioaccumulation, hematological parameters, and heat shock protein-related genes by Vitamin C on common carp

Toxic metals and trace elements, markers of inflammation, and hyperandrogenemia in women and testosterone deficiency in men: Associations and potential mediating factors

There is evidence suggesting that toxic metal and trace element exposure disrupts androgen levels. However, specific effects of such exposure on hyperandrogenemia (HA) in women and testosterone deficiency (TD) in men remain unclear. The study investigated associations between toxic metal and trace element exposure and HA in women and TD in men, utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2013 and 2016, and included 2205 women and 2621 men. Single-exposure analyses found lead (Pb) (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.19, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.36) and cadmium (Cd) (aOR 1.20, 95 % CI 1.03-1.39) were positively associated with HA, especially strong in women over the age of 35. Manganese (Mn) was positively associated with TD (aOR 1.15, 95 % CI 1.03-1.28), especially strong in men aged between 45 and 50 years and obese men. A grouped weighted quantile sum (GWQS) model was performed to assess the effects of combined exposure, and found toxic metal mixture was positively associated with HA, particularly Cd (0.59) and Pb (0.40), and trace element mixture was positively associated with TD, particularly Mn (0.78). Mediation analyses demonstrated inflammation, particularly monocyte count and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) mediated 7.5-11.76 % of the associations. These findings provide insights to inform interventions for reducing exposure.

Attenuating effects of vitamin C on lead (Pb)-induced toxicological and endocrine responses in male Wistar rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the attenuating effect of vitamin C (VC) on lead (Pb)-induced toxicity in male Wistar rats. Twenty-four mature male rats were divided into 4 groups consisting of 6 animals using a completely randomized design. Rats were treated orally with either 60 mg/kg body weight (BW) Pb acetate or 100 mg/kg BW VC singly or combination. Controls group received water (vehicle control). After 65 days exposure, testes and epididymis of the animals were measured for testicular weight, epididymal weight and sperm estimations, while blood and liver samples were collected for liver function, hormonal assays, and oxidative stress responses including transcript expression using real-time PCR. Lead initiated significant increases in expression and activities of antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD,) glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) and levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO). Liver function enzyme activities for alkaline phosphatase (ALP,) aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALP) were also elevated in Pb exposed rats. In contrast, a significant decrease was noted in reproductive hormones testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), sperm variables including motility, viability and counts, as well as testes and epididymis weights following Pb treatment. However, the oxidative stress responses and liver function enzymes were reduced in the combined Pb and VC exposure group, while reproductive hormones and sperm profile increased significantly compared to Pb alone. Data indicate that VC exerts an attenuating effect. Our findings showed the attenuating potential of VC on Pb-induced toxicity of male rats.

Review of Cadmium Bioaccumulation in Fish Exposed to Cadmium

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic substance in the aquatic ecosystem, which can represent a high risk to fish. Fish are exposed to heavy metals through waterborne and dietary pathways, some of which are absorbed by the body and can accumulate in specific tissues without being eliminated. The accumulation varies depending on several factors such as dose, exposure route, exposure time, metal types, and biological status of the fish, and environmental parameters such as DO, salinity, pH, and metal speciation. As Cd speciation occurs in the water, the amount accumulated in the fish can vary, and consuming Cd-accumulated fish can pose a risk to human health. Cd introduced into the body of fish can directly affect blood properties through the circulatory system. Cd introduced into the circulatory system of fish can reach all tissues through the blood flow, and the accumulation of specific tissues is different depending on the blood flow by the energy and oxygen demand of each tissue. Therefore, this review aimed to determine the toxic effects of Cd exposure in fish and identify indicators to assess the extent of Cd bioaccumulation toxicity in fish induced by Cd exposure.

Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide alleviates Cd toxicity in common carp (Cyprinus carpio): Neuropeptide, growth performance and lipid accumulation

Cadmium (Cd) is the most common heavy metal and is easily detected in aquatic environments on a global scale. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is a common cultural species in aquaculture. This study aimed the polysaccharide from Ganoderma lucidum in ameliorating Cd-induced toxicity in common carp. The study included a blank control group (CK, without Cd and GPL) and LGPL group (2 g/kg LGPL + 0.5 mg/L Cd) and HGPL group (4 g/kg HGPL + 0.5 mg/L Cd). The fish were sampled at 2 and 4 weeks, and bioaccumulation, neurotransmitters, lipid accumulation, and growth performance were measured. Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide administration can significant protect against Cd toxicity by reducing Cd bioaccumulation in tissues, regulating neurotransmitters, decreasing lipid accumulation, and enhancing growth performance. Our results suggested that administering Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides can alleviate waterborne Cd toxicity in common carp.

Protective effects of calcium against cadmium-induced toxicity in juvenile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus)

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the dominant metal pollutants present in the aquatic environment that affects ion homeostasis, oxidative stress (OS) and immune responses of aquatic organisms. Given the physicochemical similarities between Cd²⁺ and calcium (Ca²⁺) ions, their antagonism may facilitate the mitigation of Cd-induced toxicity. To better understand the role of Ca in protecting against Cd-induced toxicity in teleosts, juvenile grass carp were exposed to Cd (measured concentration 3 μg/L) and a gradient of Ca concentrations (measured concentration 1.5 mg/L, 2.5 mg/L, 3.0 mg/L, and 3.5 mg/L in the control (CTL) group, low calcium (LCA) group, medium calcium (MCA) group, and high calcium (HCA) group, respectively) for 30 days. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) data analyses showed that simultaneous exposure to Ca impaired the accumulation of Cd in all tested tissues. Besides, Ca addition maintained the plasma ion (Na⁺, K⁺, Cl^-) homeostasis, alleviated Cd-induced oxidative stress (OS), and regulated the activities and transcriptional levels of ATPase. Furthermore, transcriptional heatmap analysis demonstrated that several indicator genes for OS and calcium signaling pathway were found to be significantly modulated by Ca addition. This work delineates a protective effect of Ca against Cd-induced toxicity in grass carp, providing new insight into the possible solutions to Cd pollution issues in aquaculture industry.

Mechanisms regarding respiratory toxicity triggered by accumulation of ROS in carp exposed to difenoconazole

Difenoconazole is a widely used but difficult-to-degrade fungicide that can directly affect aquatic ecosystems. Here, two doses (0.488 mg/L, 1.953 mg/L) of difenoconazole were used to study the toxicity to the respiratory system of carp at an exposure time of 96 h. The results showed that difenoconazole exposure resulted in severe structural damage to carp gill tissue with extensive inflammatory cell infiltration. Mechanistically, difenoconazole exposure led to excessive accumulation of ROS in carp gill tissue, which induced an inflammatory response in the gill tissue. Meanwhile, the activities of SOD and CAT were reduced and the NRF2 signaling pathway was activated to regulate the imbalance between oxidation and antioxidation. In addition, difenoconazole exposure further activated the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis by upregulating cytochrome C, BAX, cleaved-caspase 9, and downregulating Bcl-2. More interestingly, exposure to difenoconazole increased autophagosomes, but lysosomal dysfunction prevented the late stages of autophagy from proceeding smoothly, resulting in a protective autophagic response that is not properly initiated. In summary, difenoconazole exposure caused respiratory toxicity including inflammation response, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and autophagy in carp through the accumulation of ROS. The present study expanded our understanding of the toxic effects of difenoconazole on organisms and its possible threat to the aquatic environment.

Fish liver damage related to the wastewater treatment plant effluents

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) continuously release a complex mixture of municipal, hospital, industrial, and runoff chemicals into the aquatic environment. These contaminants are both legacy contaminants and emerging-concern contaminants, affecting all tissues in a fish body, particularly the liver. The fish liver is the principal detoxifying organ and effects of consistent pollutant exposure can be evident on its cellular and tissue level. The objective of this paper is thus to provide an in-depth analysis of the WWTP contaminants' impact on the fish liver structure, physiology, and metabolism. The paper also gives an overview of the fish liver biotransformation enzymes, antioxidant enzymes, and non-enzymatic antioxidants, their role in metabolizing xenobiotic compounds and coping with oxidative damage. Emphasis has been placed on highlighting the vulnerability of fish to xenobiotic compounds, and on biomonitoring of exposed fish, generally involving observation of biomarkers in caged or native fish. Furthermore, the paper systematically assesses the most common contaminants with the potential to affect fish liver tissue.

Targeting HSP47 and HSP70: promising therapeutic approaches in liver fibrosis management

Liver fibrosis is a liver disease in which there is an excessive buildup of extracellular matrix proteins, including collagen. By regulating cytokine production and the inflammatory response, heat shock proteins (HSPs) contribute significantly to a wider spectrum of fibrotic illnesses, such as lung, liver, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis by aiding in the folding and assembly of freshly synthesized proteins, HSPs serve as chaperones. HSP70 is one of the key HSPs in avoiding protein aggregation which induces its action by sending unfolded and/or misfolded proteins to the ubiquitin–proteasome degradation pathway and antagonizing influence on epithelial-mesenchymal transition. HSP47, on the other hand, is crucial for boosting collagen synthesis, and deposition, and fostering the emergence of fibrotic disorders. The current review aims to provide light on how HSP70 and HSP47 affect hepatic fibrogenesis. Additionally, our review looks into new therapeutic approaches that target HSP70 and HSP47 and could potentially be used as drug candidates to treat liver fibrosis, especially in cases of comorbidities.

Toxic Effects of Cadmium on Fish

Large amounts of enriched cadmium (Cd) in the environment seriously threatens the healthy and sustainable development of the aquaculture industry and greatly restricts the development of the food processing industry. Studying the distribution and toxic effects of Cd in fish, as well as the possible toxic effects of Cd on the human body, is very significant. A large number of studies have shown that the accumulation and distribution of Cd in fish are biologically specific, cause tissue differences, and seriously damage the integrity of tissue structure and function, the antioxidant defense system, the reproductive regulation system, and the immune system. The physiological, biochemical, enzyme, molecular, and gene expression levels change with different concentrations and times of Cd exposure, and these changes are closely related to the target sites of Cd action and tissues in fish. Therefore, the toxic effects of Cd on fish occur with multiple tissues, systems, and levels.

Heat shock proteins and viral infection

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a kind of proteins which mostly found in bacterial, plant and animal cells, in which they are involved in the monitoring and regulation of cellular life activities. HSPs protect other proteins under environmental and cellular stress by regulating protein folding and supporting the correctly folded structure of proteins as chaperones. During viral infection, some HSPs can have an antiviral effect by inhibiting viral proliferation through interaction and activating immune pathways to protect the host cell. However, although the biological function of HSPs is to maintain the homeostasis of cells, some HSPs will also be hijacked by viruses to help their invasion, replication, and maturation, thereby increasing the chances of viral survival in unfavorable conditions inside the host cell. In this review, we summarize the roles of the heat shock protein family in various stages of viral infection and the potential uses of these proteins in antiviral therapy.