Ecotoxicological impacts of benzo[a]pyrene on Ctenopharyngodon idella larvae: hemato-immunological disruption, genotoxicity, and histopathological alterations
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University (Assiut Branch)
- 2Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU)
- 3Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University
- 4Department of Biology and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster Prediction and Prevention, Shantou University
- 5Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida
Abstract
Introduction: Environmental pollutants are increasingly recognized as critical modulators of fish immune-associated alterations, with significant implications for aquaculture sustainability. Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), a persistent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, represents a major aquatic contaminant capable of inducing immunotoxic effects in early life stages of fish. Methods: ) were exposed to 1, 10, and 100 µmol/L B[a]P for 14 days to investigate the impact of B[a]P on hemato-immunological alterations, cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and histopathological responses in immune-related organs. Results: B[a]P induced hematological and cellular alterations associated with possible immunotoxic effects in grass carp larvae. Hematological disruption was accompanied by increased erythrocyte apoptosis, reflecting cytotoxic stress. Genotoxic damage was evident through elevated DNA strand breaks, micronuclei formation, and nuclear abnormalities, suggesting compromised cellular integrity. Histopathological analysis revealed severe alterations in the liver and spleen, including lymphoid depletion, vascular congestion, and pronounced melanomacrophage center (MMC) activation with hemosiderin accumulation, highlighting immune-associated alterations. Conclusion: Collectively, these findings demonstrate that B[a]P acts as a potent environmental immunotoxicant that disrupts immune-associated biomarkers, induces cytogenotoxic damage, and impairs key immune organs in fish larvae. This study provides insights into how environmental contaminants modulate fish possible immunotoxic effects and underscores the importance of pollution management strategies to support disease resistance and sustainable aquaculture practices.
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BibTeX
@article{hamed2026ecotoxicological,
title = {{Ecotoxicological impacts of benzo[a]pyrene on Ctenopharyngodon idella larvae: hemato-immunological disruption, genotoxicity, and histopathological alterations}},
author = {Mohamed Hamed and Naglaa AbdelAll and Shaimaa K. A. Idriss and Jiezhang Mo and Ghada A. Khouqeer and Christopher Joseph Martyniuk},
journal = {Frontiers in Immunology},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2026.1872548},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1872548},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ecotoxicological impacts of benzo[a]pyrene on Ctenopharyngodon idella larvae: hemato-immunological disruption, genotoxicity, and histopathological alterations
AU - Mohamed Hamed
AU - Naglaa AbdelAll
AU - Shaimaa K. A. Idriss
AU - Jiezhang Mo
AU - Ghada A. Khouqeer
AU - Christopher Joseph Martyniuk
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/07
JO - Frontiers in Immunology
DO - 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1872548
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1872548
AB - Introduction: Environmental pollutants are increasingly recognized as critical modulators of fish immune-associated alterations, with significant implications for aquaculture sustainability. Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), a persistent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, represents a major aquatic contaminant capable of inducing immunotoxic effects in early life stages of fish. Methods: ) were exposed to 1, 10, and 100 µmol/L B[a]P for 14 days to investigate the impact of B[a]P on hemato-immunological alterations, cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and histopathological responses in immune-related organs. Results: B[a]P induced hematological and cellular alterations associated with possible immunotoxic effects in grass carp larvae. Hematological disruption was accompanied by increased erythrocyte apoptosis, reflecting cytotoxic stress. Genotoxic damage was evident through elevated DNA strand breaks, micronuclei formation, and nuclear abnormalities, suggesting compromised cellular integrity. Histopathological analysis revealed severe alterations in the liver and spleen, including lymphoid depletion, vascular congestion, and pronounced melanomacrophage center (MMC) activation with hemosiderin accumulation, highlighting immune-associated alterations. Conclusion: Collectively, these findings demonstrate that B[a]P acts as a potent environmental immunotoxicant that disrupts immune-associated biomarkers, induces cytogenotoxic damage, and impairs key immune organs in fish larvae. This study provides insights into how environmental contaminants modulate fish possible immunotoxic effects and underscores the importance of pollution management strategies to support disease resistance and sustainable aquaculture practices.
SN - 1664-3224
ER -