Outbreak of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis associated with Aeromonas hydrophila in Pangasianodon hypophthalmus: The role of turmeric oil in enhancing immunity and inducing resistance against co-infection.

Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, a ciliated parasite causing ichthyophthiriasis (white spot disease) in freshwater fishes, results in significant economic loss to the aquaculture sector. One of the important predisposing factors for ichthyophthiriasis is low water temperature (i.e., below 20°C), which affects the health and makes freshwater fishes more susceptible to parasitic infections. During ichthyophthiriasis, fishes are stressed and acute immune reactions are compromised, which enables the aquatic bacterial pathogens to simultaneously infect the host and increase the severity of disease. In the present work, we aimed to understand the parasite-bacteria co-infection mechanism in fish. Later, Curcuma longa (turmeric) essential oil was used as a promising management strategy to improve immunity and control co-infections in fish. A natural outbreak of I. multifiliis was reported (validated by 16S rRNA PCR and sequencing method) in Pangasianodon hypophthalmus from a culture facility of ICAR-CIFRI, India. The fish showed clinical signs including hemorrhage, ulcer, discoloration, and redness in the body surface. Further microbiological analysis revealed that Aeromonas hydrophila was associated (validated by 16S rRNA PCR and sequencing method) with the infection and mortality of P. hypophthalmus, confirmed by hemolysin and survival assay. This created a scenario of co-infections, where both infectious agents are active together, causing ichthyophthiriasis and motile Aeromonas septicemia (MAS) in P. hypophthalmus. Interestingly, turmeric oil supplementation induced protective immunity in P. hypophthalmus against the co-infection condition. The study showed that P. hypophthalmus fingerlings supplemented with turmeric oil, at an optimum concentration (10 ppm), exhibited significantly increased survival against co-infection. The optimum concentration induced anti-stress and antioxidative response in fingerlings, marked by a significant decrease in cortisol and elevated levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in treated animals as compared with the controls. Furthermore, the study indicated that supplementation of turmeric oil increases both non-specific and specific immune response, and significantly higher values of immune genes (interleukin-1ß, transferrin, and C3), HSP70, HSP90, and IgM were observed in P. hypophthalmus treatment groups. Our findings suggest that C. longa (turmeric) oil modulates stress, antioxidant, and immunological responses, probably contributing to enhanced protection in P. hypophthalmus. Hence, the application of turmeric oil treatment in aquaculture might become a management strategy to control co-infections in fishes. However, this hypothesis needs further validation.

On valorization of solvent extracts of Terminalia arjuna (arjuna) upon DNA scission and free radical scavenging improves coupling responses and cognitive functions under in vitro conditions.

Chronic diseases have been treated using the phytochemical concepts of ethnomedicinal plant-derived herbal products. Terminalia arjuna, a significant ethnomedicinal plant, was revisited and reconnoitred for antioxidant, free radical scavenging, and DNA nicking inhibiting activity under H2O2 conditions using 21 solvent extracts. Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid, and nitrous oxide scavenging (%) were found to have a strong positive association and interaction (PCA 1 explains 84.54% variation) with ethanol bark (Etoh-AB) (Meoh-AF). TPC (144.67-1794 µg/mL GAE) and TFC (2.5-34 µM Fe(II)/g were highest in Etoh-AB. In a pattern of combined solvent extracts, Etoh-AB had the highest antioxidant capacity, accompanied by Etoh-AL ≥ Meoh-AB ≥ Dw-AF. With R2 = 0.94, the DNA nicking inhibition behaviour parameters relative front, relative quantity, band (%), and lane (%) formed a positive significant (p < 0.01) connection. For the first time, we show that Etoh-AB nicks supercoiled, circular plasmid DNA in a way that is comparable to normal antioxidants. Normal antioxidants with the ability to prevent DNA nicking include Butylated hydroxy anisole < Butylated hydroxy toluene < ascorbic acid < and Gallic acid. Gallic acid (m/z 170.0208 g/mol) and Ellagic acid (m/z 302.0063 g/mol were present in high concentrations in solvent extracts. 0.48 mg was found to be the effective concentration for inhibiting relative DNA nicking. The current study is the first of its kind to show that steroid concentrations are higher in bark fractions of acetone, ethanol, and methanol. Furthermore, T. arjuna solvent extracts provide a wealth of information on phytochemical profiling, antioxidant ability, and DNA nicking inhibition, which may be useful for exploring the natural way and further research to develop a remedy against geriatric chronic disease. Despite the fact that ethanol is very close to methanol in terms of solvent toxicity, the current study identified it as the preferred solvent. Thus, the current research revisits previous studies and explores the potentiality of non-polar and polar aprotic and polar protic solvent systems, which lend credence to bioactive compounds that may be useful in isolating and formulating safe and cost effective herbal medicament for livestocks and aquaculture, and drugs for deoxygenerative human diseases, and can also be investigated further to instil environmental frugality.