Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41432790›Full record

ArticleVeterinary research communications2025

Protective effects of dietary Cucurbita pepo on oxidative damage, histopathological alterations, and endoplasmic reticulum stress in the brain and gills of Oreochromis niloticus exposed to trace elements.

Afaf N Abdel Rahman, Mohammed S Sobh, Abdallah Tageldein Mansour, Ahmed S AlSaqufi, Yousef Alkhamis, Hesham A Hassanien, Ahmed Abbas, Tarek Khamis, Rowida E Ibrahim, Sara T Elazab

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Veterinary research communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Afaf N Abdel RahmanDepartment of Aquatic Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, PO Box 44511, Zagazig, Egypt. afne56@gmail.com.
Mohammed S SobhDepartment of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, PO Box 44511, Zagazig, Egypt.
Abdallah Tageldein MansourDepartment of Aquaculture and Animal Production, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, PO Box 420, Hofuf, Al- Hasa, 31982, Saudi Arabia. amansour@kfu.edu.sa.
Ahmed S AlSaqufiDepartment of Aquaculture and Animal Production, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, PO Box 420, Hofuf, Al- Hasa, 31982, Saudi Arabia.
Yousef AlkhamisDepartment of Aquaculture and Animal Production, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, PO Box 420, Hofuf, Al- Hasa, 31982, Saudi Arabia.
Hesham A HassanienDepartment of Aquaculture and Animal Production, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, PO Box 420, Hofuf, Al- Hasa, 31982, Saudi Arabia.
Ahmed AbbasDepartment of Aquaculture and Animal Production, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, PO Box 420, Hofuf, Al- Hasa, 31982, Saudi Arabia.
Tarek KhamisDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, PO Box 44511, Zagazig, Egypt.
Rowida E IbrahimDepartment of Aquatic Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, PO Box 44511, Zagazig, Egypt.
Sara T ElazabDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt.

Funding

Deanship of Scientific Research, King Faisal University KFU251426
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Waterborne trace elements (TE), such as mercury (Hg) and zinc (Zn), are environmental contaminants that often co-occur in aquatic ecosystems. Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin peel; PP) is a medicinal plant with diverse pharmacological properties. Accordingly, this innovative trial looked at the efficacy of PP, administered as powder (12.00 g/kg diet), in mitigating the toxicological effects of a mixture of trace elements (MTE) containing Hg (0.05 mg/L) and Zn (7.00 mg/L) in Oreochromis niloticus. A total of 160 fingerlings (28.50 ± 1.33 g) were randomly assigned to four groups, with four replicates per group: control, PP, MTE, and PP + MTE. The experiment was conducted over two months. The findings disclosed a reduced fish survival rate (72.50%) and a pronounced neuro-stress response following MTE exposure, as indicated by elevated cortisol, norepinephrine, and glucose concentrations, along with decreased acetylcholinesterase activity. The MTE exposure also induced oxidative stress in gills, evidenced by increased malondialdehyde concentration and diminished glutathione peroxidase activity, and reduced glutathione content. Additionally, MTE caused extensive histopathological alterations in both brain and gill tissues. Furthermore, MTE exposure induced endoplasmic reticulum stress and activated apoptotic pathways, as evidenced by the significant upregulation of cysteine-aspartic acid protease-3 (casp-3), eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 A (eif-2a), C/EBP homologous protein (chop), and X-box binding protein 1(xbp-1) and inositol-requiring enzyme 1 alpha (ire-1α), activating transcription factor 6 (atf-6), and glucose-regulated protein 78 (grp-78) genes in both the brain and gills. Remarkably, dietary supplementation with PP improved these parameters and restored normal tissue histology. These findings suggest that PP can be effectively incorporated into the diet of O. niloticus to mitigate the toxic effects of MTE exposure.

Indexed as

CichlidsCucurbitaEndoplasmic Reticulum StressOxidative StressTrace ElementsWater Pollutants, ChemicalAnimal FeedAnimalsBrainDietDietary SupplementsGillsRandom AllocationTrace ElementsWater Pollutants, ChemicalER stressFish physiologyGenotoxicityOreochromis niloticusPumpkin peelTrace elements

Identifiers

PMID41432790

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.