Mahboub Heba H, Rahman Afaf N Abdel, Elazab Sara T, Abdelwarith Abdelwahab A, Younis Elsayed M, Shaalan Mohamed, Aziz Enas K, Sobh Mohammed S, Yousefi Morteza, Ismail Sameh H, Davies Simon J, Gaballa Mohamed M S
Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, PO Box 44511, Zagazig, Sharkia, Egypt.
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt.
BMC Vet Res. 2025 Mar 8;21(1):159. doi: 10.1186/s12917-025-04568-4.
Candida albicans infection induces economic losses in aquaculture practices. Currently, the success of the nanotechnology field has gained more consideration in the aquaculture sector as it bestows favorable impacts in remedies in comparison to traditional practices.
The present study was conducted to assess the role of nano chitosan gel (NCG) exposure via water in managing the deteriorating impacts triggered by C. albicans in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. Hepato-renal function, behavioral and stress response, neurological function, hepatic antioxidant/oxidant status, and histopathological architectures were investigated.
A total of 160 fish (average weight: 50.00 ± 6.30 g) were randomly assigned to four groups, each with four replicates: control, NCG, C. albicans, and NCG + C. albicans. The NCG was applied as bath treatment at a concentration of 75 µg/L for ten days.
The outcomes demonstrated that the C. albicans challenged fish exhibited obvious behavioral alterations including loss of equilibrium, surfacing, abnormal swimming and movement, and aggression. Infection with C. albicans caused an elevation in hepato-renal biomarkers (alanine and aspartate aminotransferases, alkaline phosphatase, urea, and creatinine), stress-related indices (glucose, cortisol, nor-epinephrine, and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine), and lipid peroxides (malondialdehyde). Moreover, it caused a noticeable decline in the hepatic antioxidant indices (total antioxidant capacity and reduced glutathione content) and acetylcholinesterase activity. The hepatic, renal, and brain architectures were severely damaged by the C. albicans challenge, exhibiting significant fatty changes, necrosis, vacuolation, and congestion. Remarkably, the aqueous application of NCG in the C. albicans-challenged fish ameliorated all the aforementioned biomarkers and facilitated the regeneration of histopathological changes.
Overall, the application of NCG in the aquatic environment is an effective tool for managing C. albicans infection in Nile tilapia. Moreover, it can be utilized in combating stress conditions in the aquaculture sector.
白色念珠菌感染给水产养殖带来经济损失。目前，纳米技术领域的成果在水产养殖部门得到了更多关注，因为与传统方法相比，它在治疗方面具有有利影响。
本研究旨在评估通过水接触纳米壳聚糖凝胶（NCG）在应对尼罗罗非鱼（Oreochromis niloticus）中白色念珠菌引发的恶化影响方面的作用。研究了肝肾功能、行为和应激反应、神经功能、肝脏抗氧化/氧化状态以及组织病理学结构。
总共160条鱼（平均体重：50.00±6.30克）被随机分为四组，每组四个重复：对照组、NCG组、白色念珠菌组和NCG +白色念珠菌组。以75微克/升的浓度将NCG作为浸浴处理应用十天。
结果表明，受白色念珠菌攻击的鱼表现出明显的行为改变，包括平衡失调、浮出水面、异常游泳和移动以及攻击性。白色念珠菌感染导致肝肾功能生物标志物（丙氨酸和天冬氨酸转氨酶、碱性磷酸酶、尿素和肌酐）、应激相关指标（葡萄糖、皮质醇、去甲肾上腺素和8-羟基-2-脱氧鸟苷）以及脂质过氧化物（丙二醛）升高。此外，它还导致肝脏抗氧化指标（总抗氧化能力和还原型谷胱甘肽含量）以及乙酰胆碱酯酶活性显著下降。白色念珠菌攻击严重损害了肝脏、肾脏和大脑结构，表现出明显的脂肪变性、坏死、空泡化和充血。值得注意的是，在受白色念珠菌攻击的鱼中通过水应用NCG改善了所有上述生物标志物，并促进了组织病理学变化的恢复。
总体而言，在水环境中应用NCG是管理尼罗罗非鱼白色念珠菌感染的有效工具。此外，它可用于应对水产养殖部门的应激状况。
