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Antioxidant properties of dietary supplements of free and nanoencapsulated silymarin and their ameliorative effects on silver nanoparticles induced oxidative stress in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

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Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are increasingly used in a wide range of products and as a consequence, the environmental concentration will inevitably increase in the near future. Many aquatic organisms have been shown to be sensitive to the toxic effects of silver, including oxidative stress mechanisms. In this study, we assessed the ability of silymarin (Silybum marianum) to counter the oxidative effects of AgNPs in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Fish were fed on the diets supplemented with 50 or 200 mg kg−1 of free or nanoencapsulated silymarin for 50 days. Subsequently, they were exposed via the water to three concentrations (0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 mg L−1) of AgNPs for 24 h, and the effects of this exposure assessed on blood plasma and liver oxidative status. Growth performance and most body indices measured were not affected by any of the experimental diets. There were no effects of free silymarin (FS) or nanoencapsulated silymarin (NS) on levels of plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), or on the total protein (TP). In contrast, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, and plasma glucose (GLU) were all affected by the high dietary FS and NS treatments compared with controls. Prior to the AgNPs exposure, the levels of SOD and GPx activity were higher and MDA levels lower in the silymarin treatment groups compared to controls. Exposure to AgNPs resulted in a reduction in the levels of GPx and SOD activity and an increase in the level of MDA that was dependent on the exposure concentrations of AgNPs. Based on GPx, MDA, and GLU indices, both forms of silymarin decreased the toxicity of AgNPs, but NS supplementation was the most effective. Thus, we show dietary silymarin supplementation can reduce AgNP toxicity and nanoencapsulation increases its efficacy as an antioxidant.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Exir Nano Sina Co. (Iran) for donating nanomicelles encapsulated silymarin (Sinalive®).

Materials availability

All materials are included in this published article.

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Kurdistan (Grant number: GRC98–06503-1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

    Shakila Veisi & Seyed Ali Johari

  2. Department of Zrebar Lake Environmental Research, Kurdistan Studies Institute, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

    Seyed Ali Johari

  3. Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope, Stocker Road, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4QD, UK

    Charles R. Tyler

  4. Substance Abuse Prevention Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

    Borhan Mansouri

  5. Department of Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Mazandaran, Iran

    Milad Esmaeilbeigi

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  1. Shakila Veisi
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  2. Seyed Ali Johari
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  4. Borhan Mansouri
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  5. Milad Esmaeilbeigi
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Contributions

S.V.: investigation, data curation; S.A.J.: supervision, conceptualization, methodology, funding acquisition, project administration, writing—review & editing; C.R.T.: writing—review & editing; B.M.: project administration, data curation, writing—original draft preparation; M.E.: data curation. All authors read and approved the final version.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Seyed Ali Johari or Borhan Mansouri.

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This study was approved by the ethics committee of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (IR.KUMS.REC.1399.098). Consent to participate is not applicable.

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The authors declare no competing interest.

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Responsible Editor: Bruno Nunes

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Highlights

• Short-term exposure to AgNPs induces hepatotoxicity in Nile tilapia.

• Dietary silymarin has antioxidant activities against AgNP-induced damage.

• Nanoencapsulation promotes the ameliorative effects of silymarin powder against AgNP-induced toxicity.

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Veisi, S., Johari, S.A., Tyler, C.R. et al. Antioxidant properties of dietary supplements of free and nanoencapsulated silymarin and their ameliorative effects on silver nanoparticles induced oxidative stress in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 26055–26063 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12568-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12568-8

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