Lead Acetate and Biosynthesized Pb-NPs Induced Histopathology in Nile Tilapia: Mitigation by Camellia Sinensis and Vitamin E

This study examines the toxicological impacts of lead bulk and biosynthesized Pb-NPs, utilizing Camellia sinensis leaf extract, on histopathological changes in the gills, liver, and kidney of Oreochromis niloticus. Adult fish were exposed to PbB and PbNPs (29.36 mg/l) against Camellia sinensis extraction (100 mg/l) and vitamin E (200 mg/kg) for a duration of 4 weeks to evaluate their protective effects. PbB-exposed fish had gills with 2nd lamellae fusion, aneurysm, severe interlamellar epithelium hyperplasia and hypertrophy, and curling. The liver showed hydropic degeneration, hepatocyte loss of polygonal form, lymphocytic aggregation, melanomacrophages, necrosis, pyknosis, bleeding, and central vein wall rupture. Kidney Showing hypertrophies of glomeruli, necrosis, melanomacrophages, hydropic degeneration, pyknosis, and separation of tubular epithelium from the basement membrane, but Pb-NPs caused severe interlamellar epithelium hyperplasia, hypertrophy, curling in 2nd lamellae, bulbing in gill filaments, shorter gill lamellae, decreased interlamellar space, and fusion of 2nd lamellae. Hepatocytes lost their polygonal shape, hydropic degeneration, Küpffer cells, necrosis, pyknosis, hemorrhage, central vein wall rupture, congested blood sinusoids, thickened blood vessel walls, and dilated blood vessels in the liver. The kidney shows necrosis, glomerular hypertrophy, renal tubule bleeding, glomerulus shrinkage, melanomacrophages, pyknosis, and hydropic degeneration. These studies demonstrated that Pb-NPs were more damaging than PbB and that GT extraction and vitamin E can reduce their negative effects.