Yeast prebiotics mitigate lead toxicity in Nile tilapia through physiological and ultrastructural improvements

TL;DR

Yeast prebiotics help Nile tilapia resist lead toxicity by improving their liver health and reducing lead accumulation in tissues.

Contribution

This study demonstrates that dietary yeast prebiotics can mitigate lead toxicity in fish through physiological and structural improvements.

Findings

Yeast prebiotics restored biochemical markers and reduced liver dysfunction in lead-exposed fish.

MOS/βG supplementation improved hepatic and gill tissue integrity and reduced lead accumulation.

Prebiotics showed potential as a sustainable intervention for fish in lead-polluted environments.

Abstract

Lead (Pb) contamination is a major threat to aquaculture and food safety, mainly due to its hepatotoxic and oxidative impacts on fish. This study evaluated the ameliorative role of yeast-derived prebiotics, mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) and β-glucan (βG), against Pb-induced toxicity in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). A total of 180 fish were allocated into four treatment groups for eight weeks: control, MOS/βG-supplemented diet (0.3%), Pb exposure (10 mg/L), and combined Pb with MOS/βG supplementation. Pb exposure significantly reduced serum total protein, albumin, and globulin while increasing hepatic enzymes, indicating liver dysfunction. Severe hepatic necrosis, hepatopancreatic degeneration, gill lamellar fusion, and mitochondrial disruption were also observed, alongside elevated Pb residues in liver > gills > muscles. Dietary MOS/βG markedly restored altered biochemical markers, improved histoarchitectural and ultrastructural integrity, and reduced Pb accumulation in all tissues compared with Pb-exposed fish (p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that MOS/βG supplementation enhances physiological resilience to heavy metal stress and is associated with reduced Pb bioaccumulation, highlighting their potential as a sustainable nutritional intervention to protect fish health and reduce tissue contamination in Pb-polluted aquaculture environments.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-026-37841-z.

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