Toxicity minimization of carrageenan via isoliquiritigenin grafting: A zebrafish model study

The study examined the potential of minimizing the toxicity effects of carrageenan (CG) grafted with isoliquiritigenin (ILG), using zebrafish as a model. CG is a sulfated linear polysaccharide that possesses numerous biological activities such as antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, antihyperlipidemic, anticoagulant, anticancer, and immunomodulatory. CG triggers inflammation, which may result in a variety of health issues, specifically when it is utilized in high doses, in large quantities, or over prolonged periods. ILG, a biologically active compound derived from flavonoids, exhibits antioxidant characteristics. Ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) serves as a redox initiator in the co-polymerization process to successfully graft CG with ILG. CG-ILG conjugation is analyzed using SEM, FTIR, UV, and fluorescence spectra. Further, the toxicity effects of CG and CG-ILG are evaluated using zebrafish embryos at different concentrations. At 72 hpf, CG demonstrated toxicity above 0.4 µg/mL, whereas CG-ILG showed no significant toxicity up to 0.8 µg/mL. Thus, results indicate CG-ILG possesses low toxicity in comparison to CG, and the grafting of ILG successfully minimized the toxicity effects of CG. Using the ToxTrac software, a substantial decrease (P < 0.05) is observed in the locomotion activity of CG-ILG treated zebrafish with concentrations ranging from 0.4 to 1.6 µg/mL.