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Advances in Pharmacology & Clinical Trials Research Article 6 min read

Phytotherapy Toxicity in Aquaculture

Semwal A*
* Corresponding author
ISSN: 2474-9214  10.23880/apct-16000219  Received: May 10, 2023  Published: July 06, 2023
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Keywords
Keywords: Antibiotics Toxicity Phytotherapy LD50 and LC50
Abstract

The fish disease significantly affects the aquaculture industry and causes economic harm. Antibiotics, chemotherapeutics and other synthetic pharmaceuticals are continuously used by farmers to mitigate infectious diseases. Phytotherapy without side effects is an eco-friendly, socio-economic and modern approach to mitigate disease. Toxicological and pharmacological studies are prerequisites for phytotherapy-related research and help to decide a safe dose for the main experiment and commercial aqua products. In toxicity studies, LD50 and LC50 are reliable and widely used acute toxicity parameters.

Introduction

Aquaculture is an exponentially growing sector that diminishes hunger and malnutrition at the global level and is forecast to increase by 62% between 2010 and 2030 [1]. Aquaculture does not only provide an important source of protein and income but can also furnish ecosystem services such as wastewater treatment, bioremediation, habitat restoration and replenishment of wild populations [2]. The aquaculture sector faces numerous challenges that hamper its expansion. Aquatic animal diseases are considered one of the major limiting factors for aquaculture development [3], with increasing global trade, intensification of systems and climate change contributing to the emergence of infectious diseases [4]. To prevent and mitigate economic losses, farmers continuously use antibiotics, chemotherapeutics and other veterinary drugs such as disinfectants to rear aquatic animals [5]. On the other hand, chemotherapy and vaccination is a costly methods to control aquaculture disease [6].

In India, “Mrgayurveda,” a subdiscipline of Ayurveda, focuses on animal life and the use of herbal medicines to treat animal diseases [7], because of the presence of strong bioactive compounds medicinal plant exhibit antioxidant, antimicrobial and immune-stimulating properties, and can be a promising tool for mitigation of disease in aquaculture. In contrast to chemotherapeutics, they appear to be delivered to fish without having any detrimental side effects. They are also affordable, readily accessible and biocompatible [8, 9]. Thus, the use of medicinal plants in aquaculture has attracted a lot of attention globally and has become a subject of investigation [10]. The most common medicinal plants incorporated in fish diets as powder and extracts are Azadirachta indica, Withania somnifera, Allium sativum, Zingiber officinale, Ocimum sanctum, Tinospora cordifolia, Aloe barbadensis, Achyranthes aspera etc. [9, 11, 12].

To examine the potential effects of medicinal herbs on fish, toxicity studies are required before their usage in aquaculture. The acute toxicity tests appear to represent important tools for determining safe concentrations for animals, humans and the environment (biotic and abiotic factors), based on ecotoxicology [13]. Toxicology and pharmacology studies can be evaluated by the effects of medicinal plants on the haematological, biochemical, histological and oxidative parameters of fish as well as water quality. Blood parameters are valuable criteria for detecting physiological changes in pre-clinical farmed fishes and can give vital information for disease diagnosis and prognosis (Table 1). Due to the presence of certain toxic phytoconstituents like tannins, taxine alkaloids, hydrocyanic acid, juglone toxin, calcium oxalate, lycorine alkaloids and natural LSD plants become toxic to fishes and other aquatic organisms [14].

An LC50 value, also known as the median lethal concentration or lethal concentration 50, is the concentration of a medicinal plant that will kill 50% of the test subjects (fishes) when administered as a single exposure for a set short period. This value provides insight into the relative acute toxicity of the medicinal herb [15].

Medicinal plantPlant part usedFishStudy periodLC /LD
50 50		References
Myrica esculentaLeaf (extract)Oncorhynchus mykiss96199.5 mg/L[16]
Moringa oleiferaSeed (extract)Cyprinus carpio96124.0 mg/L[17]
Uncaria tomentosaBark (extract)Hyphessobrycon
eques		4818.16 mL/L[18]
Azadirachta indicaLeaf (extract)Prochilodus lineatus244.8 g /L[19]
Mentha piperitaLeaf (Essential
oil)		Arapaima gigas438 mg/L[20]

Table 1: List of medicinal plants used in acute toxicity analysis along with their part used, study hours and median lethal conce

Acute toxicity analysis of herbs on fish is used to determine possible harm to fish species as well as other ecological regulatory issues related to surface water pollutants [21] (Tables 2 & 3).

LC50Fish usedStudy period(hours)
Thyme6.6 mg/LOncorhynchus mykiss96 hours
Thymol2.6 mg/LOncorhynchus mykiss96 hours
Cumin35 mg/LOncorhynchus mykiss96 hours
Caraway14 mg/LOncorhynchus mykiss96 hours

Table 2: LC50 concentrations of essential oils against rainbow trout during 96 h acute toxicity test [22].

Medicinal plantPart of the plant usedFish usedLC50 (g/L)at various exposure periods
24 h48 h72 h96 h
Euphorbia royleanaBark extractChanna punctatus0.050.040.0250.02
Jatropha gossypifolia4.614.544.444.34
Nerium indicum0.0970.0950.070.041
Thevetia peruviana4.053.643.483.17

Table 3: Median lethal concentration analysis of 4 different bark extracts against Channa punctatus [21].

Conclusion

Phytotherapy is the inexpensive, easily available and biocompatible approach. Efficient toxicology and pharmacology investigation is strongly recommended to determine LD50, LC50 and sub-lethal doses. The phytochemical analysis is required to find potent bioactive compounds present in medicinal herbs. Hematology, histology, oxidative and biochemical parameter are very useful to evaluate the effect of medicinal plants on fish. Moreover, additional research on their mode of action, the stability of plant components in the aquatic environment, the acceptance rate in fish and in vitro and in vivo toxicity tests are required for their safe use.

References

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  22. Tabarraei H, Hassan J, Mosavi SS (2019) Determination of LD50 of some essential oils and histopathological changes in short-term exposure to one of them in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Toxicol Res Appli 3: 1-7.
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@article{semwal2023,
  title   = {Phytotherapy Toxicity in Aquaculture},
  author  = {Semwal A},
  journal = {Advances in Pharmacology & Clinical Trials},
  year    = {2023},
  volume  = {8},
  number  = {3},
  doi     = {10.23880/apct-16000219}
}
Semwal A (2023). Phytotherapy Toxicity in Aquaculture. Advances in Pharmacology & Clinical Trials, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.23880/apct-16000219
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Phytotherapy Toxicity in Aquaculture
AU  - Semwal A
JO  - Advances in Pharmacology & Clinical Trials
PY  - 2023
VL  - 8
IS  - 3
DO  - 10.23880/apct-16000219
ER  -