Putative Remedial Effect of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on the Apoptotic Response in Nile Tilapia Exposed to Potential Micro Plastics in Sewage Effluent
Putative Remedial Effect of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on the Apoptotic Response in Nile Tilapia Exposed to Potential Micro Plastics in Sewage Effluent
May Al-Bariqi1, Promy Virk1*, Manal Ahmed Awad2, Manal Qayyadh Saad Alanazi1 and Khalid Ortashi3
ABSTRACT
Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging class of ubiquitous pollutants that pose a threat to aquatic biota. It has been established that Sewage treatment plant (STP) effluents are a potential source of MPs into the aquatic compartment of the environment. The present study elucidates the apoptotic effect of these contaminants in the effluent on the liver of effluent exposed freshwater fish (Oreochromis niloticus) and the remedial effect of UV mediated photocatalytic degradation of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs).The fish were exposed to 50% and 75% of the effluent without treatment and with treatment with ZnO NPs. Exposure to potential MPs in the effluent induced the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, subsequently affecting the oxidative mechanism leading to apoptosis. The mRNA expression profile of pro-apoptotic gene Bax and tumour suppressor gene, p53 was upregulated significantly in the group exposed to 75 % effluent. Treatment with the ZnONPs, significantly retreated the alterations in the mRNA expression of both Bax and p53. In conclusion, the findings of this work suggest that the MPs and the compounds in the organic matrix of the STP effluent induced a concentration-dependent ROS mediated apoptotic response in tilapia. Furthermore, zinc oxide exhibits immense potential towards absorption and degradation of organic pollutants from wastewater in the field of heterogeneous photo catalysis and can be further encouraged as a sustainable strategy in water remediation.
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