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Spirulina platensis supplementation remediates microplastics-induced growth inhibition and stress in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus
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Nile tilapia fish exposed to microplastics showed reduced growth, intestinal damage, and signs of immune stress, but adding the dietary supplement Spirulina to their feed significantly reversed these harmful effects. Spirulina reduced oxidative stress and helped repair gut damage caused by microplastic exposure. While this is a fish study, it suggests that certain natural supplements might help protect against some of the biological damage caused by microplastic ingestion.
• Growth, blood profiles and intestinal histomorphology of Nile tilapia were significantly affected upon exposure to microplastics • Upregulation of oxidative stress-related (SOD & CAT) and immune-related (TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-1β) genes expression • Suplimentation with Spirulina in feed significantly restored the growth hindrance and stress in fish • Spirulina showed ameliorative effects on damage repaired induced by microplastics Microplastics (MP) are ubiquitous pollutants and their ingestion exerts deleterious effects on fish physiology. An effort was made in the present study to counteract the negative impacts of MP by supplementation of Spirulina platensis (Spir.) in feed. A 42-day long experiment investigated the efficacy of Spir. in attenuating polyamide microplastics (PA-MP) instigated blood toxicity, growth retardation and stress in Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ). The fish were assigned to four triplicated treatments, such as control (without PA-MP and/or Spir.), MP (PA-MP 10 mg/L), Spir. ( Spirulina 50 g/kg feed), and MP + Spir. (PA-MP 10 mg/L + Spir. 50 g/kg feed). The fish were sampled at the end of the experiment and growth, blood, oxidative stress, and immune biomarkers were assessed. The growth performances in terms of weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) decreased significantly in PA-MP group. The PA-MP exposure significantly altered various biomarker responses, such as lower hemoglobin level (g/dL) and higher glucose level (mg/dL), increased erythrocytic cellular and nuclear anomalies, upregulation of oxidative stress-related (SOD & CAT) and immune-related (TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-1β) genes expression in the fish. However, supplementation of Spirulina (MP + Spir.) significantly improved these detrimental impacts in the fish. Spirulina inclusion in the feed remarkably restored the suppressed growth, altered blood indices, and expression level of oxidative stress-related and immune-related genes in the liver, indicates considerable repairment of oxidative stress and immune damage induced by PA-MP. Results of the current experiment recommended that Spirulina supplementation can ameliorate microplastic-induced growth suppression and stress in Nile tilapia .
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The protective role of Spirulina platensis against the alterations in some biomarkers in crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) exposed to polyethylene nanoplastics
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Nanoplastics (tiny plastic particles from broken-down waste) harmed crayfish by increasing cell damage, weakening their immune systems, and disrupting nerve function — but adding spirulina, a common algae supplement, to their diet significantly reduced this damage. While this study was done in crayfish, not humans, it hints that spirulina's antioxidant properties might help counter some effects of the microplastics we're all increasingly exposed to through food and water, making it a promising area for future human research.
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Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics of different sizes affect the intestinal health of tilapia and whether Chlorella algae supplementation could alleviate the damage. They found that microplastics caused intestinal histological changes and disrupted enzyme activities, gene expression, and gut microbiota in the fish. The addition of Chlorella showed potential to mitigate some of the intestinal damage caused by nanoscale microplastic exposure.
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Researchers investigated whether probiotics could protect Nile tilapia from liver damage caused by polystyrene microplastics. The study found that fish pre-fed with probiotics showed significantly reduced oxidative stress markers in the liver compared to those exposed to microplastics alone, suggesting that probiotics may help mitigate microplastic-induced hepatic oxidative damage in fish.
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