Prevalence of microplastics in commonly consumed fish species of the river Old Brahmaputra, Bangladesh.

Microplastics (MPs) are pervasive in aquatic environments, but inland waterbodies (rivers and floodplains) have received much less attention. The present study assesses the incidence of MPs in the gastrointestinal tracts of five commercially important edible fish species-two column feeders (n = 30) and three benthivores (n = 45) from upstream, midstream, and downstream of the Old Brahmaputra river in north-central Bangladesh. MPs were detected in 58.93% of fish, with the highest level in freshwater eel, Mastacembelus armatus (10.31 ± 0.75/fish). Fibers (49.03%) and pellets (28.02%) were the most frequent MPs. Nearly 72% MPs were smaller than 1 mm, and 50.97% were black. FTIR analysis showed 59% polyethelene (PE), followed by polyamide (40%) and unidentified (1%). MP ingestion was linked to fish size and weight, and a high incidence was recorded in the downstream river. Two omnivorous benthic fish ingest more MPs than others. The results corroborate the presence of MPs in the inland river and fish fauna and augment our understanding of heterogeneous MP uptake by fish.

Increase in temperature increases ingestion and toxicity of polyamide microplastics in Nile tilapia.

Microplastics (MP) pollution and global warming are worldwide concerns, creating various physiological problems for aquatic organisms. This study was carried out to know the effects of different temperature (30, 33 and 36 °C) on ingestion of MP along with the physiological consequences in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) exposed to virgin polyamide (PA) (10 mg/L water; 500 µm to 4 mm in size) for 15 days. A significant difference was found in PA ingestion of the fish treated with different temperature. Fish from 36 °C temperature groups ingested highest amount of PA (136 ± 24.40 item/fish) during the exposure period. The hemoglobin (Hb) and red blood cell (RBC) decreased significantly in the highest temperature (36 °C) without PA exposure. At the same time, Hb increased, but RBC significantly reduced in all the temperature conditions with PA exposure. The number of white blood cell (WBC) and glucose level increased significantly in the highest temperature (36 °C) without PA exposure. In contrast, WBC increased and glucose decreased significantly in all the temperature conditions with PA exposure. Frequencies of various nuclear and cellular abnormalities of erythrocytes increased significantly in the fish exposed to all temperature with PA exposure, though severity increased with temperature. Similarly, histological damage of gills (hyperplasia, epithelial necrosis, deformed pillar system, epithelial lifting, telangiectasia) and intestine (epithelium breakage, enterocyte vacuolization and shortening of villi) was found to be mild to severe by the accumulation of PA, increased severity with increase of temperature. This study confirms that global warming as a consequence of climate change might influence MP ingestion hampering physiological state of fish.

Vitamin E supplementation in diet ameliorates growth of Nile tilapia by upgrading muscle health.

Vitamin E (VE), an important lipid-soluble antioxidant, has great influence on growth and maintenance in animal. The effects of VE supplemented diet on growth and feed usage in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was investigated in this study. Three formulated diets containing VE (0, 50 and 100 mg/kg) were fed to Nile tilapia (3.56 ± 0.16 g) in glass aquaria maintaining three replicate groups for 56 days (8 weeks). Survival, growth performance including weight gain, percent weight gain, and specific growth rate (WG, % WG, and SGR), and feed utilization comprising protein efficiency ratio and feed conversion ratio (PER and FCR) were calculated. Hemato-biochemical indices including hemoglobin level (Hb), white blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC) and glucose level were analyzed. In addition, muscle morphology was examined after completion of the experiment. At the end of the trial, WG, %WG, SGR, FCR and PER increased significantly which had dietary VE supplimentation. However, no distinct changes were observed in Hb level, RBC count, WBC count and glucose level among these different dietary groups. Dietary VE treatments significantly upgraded the muscle fiber diameter and lowered the intra-muscle gap. Moreover, quantity of hyperplastic muscle fiber as well as nucleus also significantly enhanced by VE. Morphological structure of muscle characterized by a huge proportion of hyperplastic muscle that may be supposed to contribute the enhanced growth of Nile tilapia receiving VE supplemented diet. Therefore these results suggested that VE incorporation into the feed can be effective to improve the feed efficiency and maximize the growth of O. niloticus.

Dried fish more prone to microplastics contamination over fresh fish - Higher potential of trophic transfer to human body.

Globally, microplastics (MPs) contamination in aquatic organisms is emerging as an alarming phenomenon. In the present study, we investigated MPs in three commercially important fishes (Bombay duck Harpadon nehereus, ribbon fish Trichiurus lepturus and hairfin anchovy Setipinna phasa) in fresh and dried conditions collected from two sites (Chattogram and Kuakata) of the Bay of Bengal. It was evident that fresh T. lepturus ingested highest amount of MPs through the gills (6.41 mps/g) from Chattogram followed by in the gastrointestinal tract, GIT (6.20 mps/g) and in the muscle (1.20 mps/g) from Kuakata. Among the fresh fishes, H. nehereus from Kuakata accumulated highest amount of MPs (0.21 mps/g), while S. phasa from Kuakata contained the least amount of MPs (0.06 mps/g). On the other hand, among the dried fishes, T. lepturus from Kuakata contained highest amount of MPs (46.00 mps/g), while S. phasa from Kuakata retained lowest amount of MPs (2.17 mps/g). Strangely, all the dried fishes showed significantly higher amount of MPs compared to fresh fishes from both the locations. Fiber was the most dominant type of shape of MPs which accounted 66 %, followed by fragment (27.38 %), microbeads (3.59 %), film (1.48 %), foam (1.31 %) and pellet (0.25 %). Size-wise, the major portion (39.66 %) of MPs was present to be in size range less than 0.5 mm followed by 37.67 % in the size range of 0.5-1.0 mm group and rest 22.67 % within 1.0-5.0 mm. Red (41.55 %) colored MPs was the most prominent, followed by brown (22.11 %), blue (16.32 %), pink (11.69 %), purple (5.10 %), and green (2.25 %). Among polymer types, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) was the most common (38 %), followed by polystyrene (PS-22 %), polyvinyl chloride (PVC-16 %), polyamide (PA-13 %) and ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA-9 %). The present study confirms high occurrence of MPs in the dried fishes over the fresh fishes from the Bay of Bengal, with high potential of trophic transfer to the human body.

Histopathological responses and recovery in gills and liver of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) exposed to diesel oil.

Water pollution due to crude oil has become one of the major means of pollution lately. We experimented to study to what extent different concentrations of diesel oil can distress the gills and liver of the affected fish. Two groups of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were exposed to 0.1 ml/l and 0.5 ml/l diesel oil for seven days and then kept in pollutant-free water for 14 days to scrutinize how much they can recover. A control group has also maintained during the experiment. Several histo-pathological abnormalities were observed in gills including deformed pillar system, clubbed tips in the secondary lamellae, hyperplasia of the epithelial cells, aggregation of cells of the primary lamellae, fusion of secondary lamellae, telangiectasia and lamellar aneurysms. Though almost similar level of aberration was observed in the lower and higher treatment group, fish treated with lower concentrations were quick to recover. When it comes to the liver, fish treated with 0.1 ml/l diesel showed mild necrosis, patchy degeneration, hypertrophy nucleus and which eventually recovered after 14 days of the recovery period, whereas fish treated with 0.5 ml/l diesel showed moderate to severe abnormalities in almost all cases and the recovery was less but pattern was observed. The experimental study concluded that the higher the exposure to diesel oil, higher incidences of major health problems are recorded, seriously piercing the healing system of Nile tilapia.

Impacts of heavy metals on early development, growth and reproduction of fish - A review.

Heavy metals pollution causes a threat to the aquatic environment and to its inhabitants when their concentrations exceed safe limits. Heavy metals cause toxicity in fish due to their non-biodegradable properties and their long persistence in the environment. This review investigated the effects of heavy metals on early development, growth and reproduction of fish. Fish embryos/larvae and each developmental stage of embryo respond differently to the intoxication and vary from species to species, types of metals and their mode of actions, concentration of heavy metals and their exposure time. Many of the heavy metals are considered as essential nutrient elements that positively improve the growth and feed utilization of fishes but upon crossing the maximum tolerable limit these metals cause not only a hazard to fish health but also to human consumers and the disruption of ecological systems. Reduced gonadosomatic index (GSI), fecundity, hatching rate, fertilization success, abnormal shape of reproductive organs, and finally failure of reproduction in fish have been attributed to heavy metal toxicity. In summary, this review sheds light on the manipulation of fish physiology by heavy metals and seeks to raise sensitivity to the prevention and control of aquatic environmental contamination, particularly from heavy metals.

Blood biomarkers as diagnostic tools: An overview of climate-driven stress responses in fish.

Global climate change due to anthropogenic activities affects the dynamics of aquatic communities by altering the adaptive capacities of their inhabitants. Analysis of blood provides valuable insights in the form of a comprehensive representation of the physiological and functional status of fish under various environmental and treatment conditions. This review synthesizes currently available information about blood biomarkers used in climate change induced stress responses in fish. Alterations in informative blood-based indicators are used to monitor the physiological fitness of individual fishes or entire populations. Specific characteristics of fish blood, such as serum and plasma metabolites, cell composition, cellular abnormalities, cellular and antioxidant enzymes necessitate adapted protocols, as well as careful attention to experimental designs and meticulous interpretation of patterns of data. Moreover, the sampling technique, transportation, type of culture system, acclimation procedure, and water quality must all be considered for valid interpretation of hemato-biochemical parameters. Besides, blood collection, handling, and storage time of blood samples can all have significant impacts on the results of a hematological analysis, so it is optimal to perform hemato-biochemical evaluations immediately after blood collection because long-term storage can alter the results of the analyses, at least in part as a result of storage-related degenerative changes that may occur. However, the scarcity of high-throughput sophisticated approaches makes fish blood examination studies promising for climate-driven stress responses in fish.

Presence of microplastics in two common dried marine fish species from Bangladesh.

We examined microplastics (MP) in two commercially important dried fish, Bombay duck (Harpadon nehereus) and ribbon fish (Trichiurus lepturus), collected from two sites on the Bay of Bengal (Cox's Bazar and Kuakata). The number of MP found in dried Bombay duck and ribbon fish from Kuakata was significantly higher (41.33 g-1 and 46.00 g-1, respectively) than the MP present in samples collected from Cox's Bazar (28.54 g-1 and 34.17 g-1, respectively). Fibers were the most common type of MP identified in all samples (41-64%), followed by fragments (22-34%), microbeads (9-16%), films (3-4%), foams (1-4%), and pellets (0-2%). ATR-FTIR analysis revealed three different types of MP polymer - polyethylene (35-45%), polystyrene (20-30%) and polyamide (30-45%) in the dried fish samples. The study confirms the presence of high MP loads in dried fish from the Bay of Bengal, with high potential of trophic transfer of MP to the human body.

Dietary Zinc in Association with Vitamin E Promotes Growth Performance of Nile Tilapia.

Zinc (Zn) and vitamin E (VE) are essential micro-nutrients that contribute a pivotal role in the physiology and nutrition of fish. An experiment was designed to know the effects of Zn and VE addition in the diet on growth and feed utilization in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Four diets containing Zn (80 mg/kg), VE (50 mg/kg), Zn (80 mg/kg) + VE (50 mg/kg), and without Zn and VE (control) were fed to Nile tilapia in aquaria with triplicate groups for 6 weeks. Survival, growth parameters (weight gain, WG; %WG; specific growth rate, SGR), and feed utilization (protein efficiency ratio, PER; feed conversion ratio, FCR) were calculated at the end of the feeding trial. Several hemato-biochemical parameters (hemoglobin, Hb; red blood cell, RBC; white blood cell, WBC, and glucose) and morphology of muscle were analyzed. The growth parameters (WG, %WG, and SGR) and feed utilization (FCR and PER) improved significantly in the fish fed with Zn, VE, and Zn + VE supplemented diets. There was no significant change in the values of Hb, RBC, WBC, and glucose level among different groups. Significantly improved diameter of muscle fiber, reduced distance between muscle fiber, and increased number of the nucleus and hyperplastic muscle fiber were observed in the fish fed with Zn, VE, and Zn + VE supplemented diets. These results suggested that Zn and VE can be effectively incorporated into the diets of Nile tilapia for better growth with maximum feed utilization.

Chemical profile, traditional uses, and biological activities of Piper chaba Hunter: A review.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Piper chaba Hunter, called Chui Jhal or Choi Jhal, is commonly used as a culinary (spice) herb in India and Bangladesh. It exhibits numerous important biological activities and has been widely used in traditional medicine. AIM OF THE STUDY: This review focuses on the chemical and pharmacological activities of a culinary ingredient P. chaba based on information extracted from the literature to highlight its use in traditional medicine. METHODS: A literature search in known databases was conducted (till September 2019) for published articles using the relevant keywords. RESULTS: Findings suggest that, to date, a number of important phytoconstituents such as dimeric alkaloids, and alkamides have been isolated from various parts of P. chaba. Extracts from P. chaba or derived compounds exhibit diverse biological activities, such as anti-microbial, anti-leishmanial, anti-malarial, anti-parasitic, cytotoxic/anticancer, adipogenic, hepato- and gastro-protective, anti-diabetic, analgesic, anti-diarrheal, depressive, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, anti-hypertensive, antipyretic, anti-ulcer, and immunomodulatory effect. Among the isolated compounds, chabamides, piperine, piplartine, retrofractamides A/B, methylenedioxyphenyl)-nona-2E,4E,8E-trienoic acid, n-butyl or n-pentyl amine, piperlonguminine, pipernonaline, dehydropipernonaline, N-isobutyl-(2E,4E)-octadecadienamide, and N-isobutyl-(2E,4E,14Z)-eicosatrienamide have documented important biological effects in various test systems. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, P. chaba may be a potential source of plant-based therapeutic lead compounds, which justify its uses in traditional medicine.