Sea cucumber male gonads are valuable by-products of sea cucumber processing. However, it remains unknown whether sea cucumber male gonads are capable of resisting testicular damage and spermatogenesis disorder. Animal experiments showed that sea cucumber male gonad peptide (SCSP) supplementation can promote the quality of sperm and the integrity of the blood-testis barrier (BTB) and maintain the normal morphological structure of both the testicles and epididymides. In addition, SCSP reduced testicular oxidative stress and decreased serum TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels by 42.27% and 22.60%, respectively. Immunohistochemical staining showed that SCSP facilitated the expression of Bcl-2, ZO-1, and occludin in testes. Correspondingly, SCSP significantly promoted the expression of Bcl-xl, tubulin, beta-catenin, and connexin 43 and decreased the expression of Bax, Bad, Caspase-3, and p-p38 MAPK. The findings of this study suggested that SCSP alleviated testicular damage and spermatogenesis disorder not only by inhibiting inflammation and cell apoptosis but also by promoting the recovery of the BTB structure by restraining the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. The findings provide potential value for exploiting future food in SCSP applications. (c) 2027 The authors. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
This study developed a novel, eco-friendly solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbent, modified pomegranate biochar (POM), from the agricultural waste of pomegranate peel for the efficient removal of toxic lead (Pb(II)) and the tetracycline (TC) antibiotic from aqueous solutions. Synthesized POM was comprehensively characterized using (SEM, TEM, FT-IR, and XRD) and confirmed POM’s hierarchical core-shell nanostructure, enriched surface functional groups. Optimized SPE conditions using POM achieved maximum adsorption capacities of 3900 ± 71 (RSD = 1.8
This study evaluated the effects of dietary standardized Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract on growth performance and oxidative stress in Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) post-larvae. Shrimp with an initial weight of 0.38 +/- 0.02 g were randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments-0.0% (control), 0.05%, 0.1%, and 0.2% Ashwagandha supplementation-for a duration of 90 days, with three replicates per treatment. Major bioactive compounds, including withaferin A and withanosides, were identified using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). Growth performance, survival, and body composition were assessed. Growth responses differed significantly among treatments: final body weight increased with increasing Ashwagandha dose; feed intake, weight gain, ADG, and SGR were highest at 0.2%; and PPV and EU were elevated in all supplemented groups, although differences among the Ashwagandha levels were not significant. Survival was also higher in the 0.1% and 0.2% groups. Proximate analysis revealed no significant changes in dry matter, crude protein, or ether extract, whereas ash content decreased significantly in Ashwagandha-fed shrimp. Gene expression analyses were conducted at days 45 and 90 on markers associated with growth, molting, and immune function. Specifically, igfbp-rp1, pyk, and cyclophilin A were analyzed in muscle tissue; chhI and cht2 in the eyestalk; and Toll, imd, relish, and casp1 in the hepatopancreas. Oxidative stress biomarkers-including superoxide dismutase, catalase, and malondialdehyde-were also measured. Ashwagandha supplementation influenced gene expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Specifically, 0.05-0.1% supplementation upregulated growth- and immune-related genes at day 45, with partial or full downregulation observed by day 90. Antioxidant enzyme activity increased with higher Ashwagandha doses, while MDA levels decreased, indicating reduced oxidative stress. Overall, the results suggest that standardized Ashwagandha root extract may serve as a functional feed additive to improve health and performance in shrimp aquaculture.
Nitrogen-doped ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles supported on GAC were simulated and characterized. Various techniques including SEM, EDX, XPS, Raman, and DRS were employed to confirm both the successful nitrogen doping and the effective immobilization of ZnO and TiO₂ particles onto the GAC substrate. The resulting N-ZnO/AC and N-TiO2/AC catalysts were applied in the photo-degradation of ammonia and phenol within a semi-continuous flow photocatalytic reactor. Photocatalytic activity assessments were performed on both catalysts with flow rate and pH variations. These investigations indicated that the optimal degradation of both contaminants occurred at 8 L/min flowrate and a moderate pH level. To comprehensively evaluate the impact of various independent parameters on degradation efficiency, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied. Optimization of the UV/Catalyst/H2O2 process for the N-ZnO/AC catalyst was conducted using a Box-Behnken design. The predicted photo-degradation efficiency for both ammonia and phenol were found in excellent agreement. Optimization process revealed that the maximum photo-degradation efficiency was achieved under specific conditions: 120 min of irradiation time, 0.86 g L− 1 catalyst dose, an H2O2 concentration of 45 mM, an initial ammonia concentration of 96.55 ppm, and an initial phenol concentration of 10 ppm.
Antimicrobial resistance remains a global health challenge, necessitating innovative biomaterials with synergistic antimicrobial potential. Herein, the efficacy of squilla-chitosan (Cs) as a natural polymer was evaluated to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria and its synergy with 14 commercial antibiotics. The combination of cefepime (FEP) with Cs showed synergistic effects against all tested strains, with fractional inhibitory concentrations (FICI) ranging from 0.14 to 0.31 μg/mL. Chitosan obtained after deacetylation (Cs1 and Cs2) also exhibited synergistic effects with FEP. The incorporation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) onto Cs1 and Cs2 (AgNPs-NCs1, AgNPs-NCs2, CuNPs-NCs1, CuNPs-NCs2) was confirmed by TEM. The checkerboard method revealed that combinations of FEP with AgNPs-NCs1 and AgNPs-NCs2 showed the strongest synergy, particularly for S. aureus and A. baumannii, with FICI values of 0.17 and 0.03 μg/mL, respectively. These combinations resulted in significant growth reductions (3log10 units for Gram-positive and 2log10 units for Gram-negative bacteria) compared to FEP alone. TEM revealed severe damage to P. aeruginosa cells treated with FEP/AgNPs-NCs2. Additionally, the two most effective combinations displayed antifungal activity against Rhizopus nigricans with inhibition zones of 28 mm and 20 mm, respectively. This study highlights the potential of chitosan-based nanoparticles as efficient drug carriers with antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
