Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) leaf extract abates the neurotoxic and neurobehavioral outcomes of fluoride in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) via balancing oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and acetylcholinesterase activity
Fluoride Cynara scolymus leaf extract Aggression Pro-inflammatory cytokines Heat shock protein 70
This study assessed the effects of fluoride (FLO) on neurobehavioral function, brain oxidative status and inflammatory
response, acetylcholinesterase activity, and histopathological picture in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis
niloticus) with a mitigative trial using Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) leaf extract (AE). To achieve this, 240
O. niloticus fish (30 ± 1.5 g average initial weight) were distributed into four groups, each with four replicates in
a 60-day feeding trial. A basal diet without supplements was given to the control group. A 300 mg/kg AE
supplement was included in the 2nd group’s basal diet (AE). A sub-lethal concentration of FLO (6.1 mg/L) was
administered to the 3rd group of tilapias. Meanwhile, the last group was fed an AE-containing diet and exposed
to FLO. The findings exhibited that supplementing AE to the O. niloticus diets significantly resolved the FLOinduced
decrease in the frequency of middle swimming, feeding, and middle crossing. Additionally, AE food
supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) attenuated the FLO-induced-aggression. The significant exhaustion in
enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant brain content documented in FLO-exposed fish was significantly
reverted by AE incorporation into their diets. Also, cortisol, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, 8-OHdG, and MDA
displayed detectable increases in FLO-exposed groups, but the level of brain acetylcholinesterase was significantly
reduced. Pro-inflammatory cytokines (il-1β and tnf-α), apoptotic (caspase-3 and p53), and stress-related
(hsp70) genes were noticeably elevated in the brains of fish treated with FLO, whereas the expression of antioxidative
(sod and cat) genes was dramatically downregulated. Yet, incorporating AE in the diet repaired the
alterations that FLO elicited in most of the indicators mentioned above. Further, AE dietary supplementation
significantly minimized the FLO-induced histopathological alterations in the fish brain tissue. These findings
suggested that AE would be an effective dietary supplement to lessen the harmful effects of FLO on the Nile
tilapia’s behavior and brain health.
This study assessed the effects of fluoride (FLO) on neurobehavioral function, brain oxidative status and inflammatory
response, acetylcholinesterase activity, and histopathological picture…
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