ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Aquatic Physiology
This article is part of the Research TopicPhysiological Regulation in Species Infections: Investigating Pathogen-Host Dynamics and Stress Responses in Aquatic OrganismsView all 4 articles
Nitrite exposure on gills of Oreochromis niloticus: structure change, immune response, and apoptosis
Provisionally accepted
- Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Nitrite is one of the most common pollutants in high-density aquaculture systems and has a potentially serious impact on the health of fish. The gill, as the organ directly in contact with the environment, performs several vital physiological functions, including gas exchange, osmotic pressure regulation, and mucosal immunity. Using a series of nitrite concentration gradients, we investigated the impact of nitrite on tilapia gills, with a focus on its immune responses. The results indicated that nitrite exposure could significantly increase the number of mucus cells and change the subtypes of chloride cells. Nitrite exposure significantly elevated serum catalase (CAT) activity and decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. After nitrite treatment, the expression of ion channel protein genes was markedly affected, with a substantial increase in Na + /Cl -cotransporter (ncc) expression. Inflammatory gene expression in the gill was also significantly altered. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that key genes in the IL-17 signaling pathway were considerably altered after nitrite exposure. Mitochondrial damage and apoptosis in the gill tissues were also found after nitrite exposure. In conclusion, nitrite exposure altered immune function and ion transport, especially the activation of the IL-17 signaling pathway, damage to mitochondrial structure, and apoptosis in the gill. This study enhances our understanding of the mechanisms underlying nitrite-induced damage to the gill.
Keywords: gill, nitrite, Aquaculture pollution, Ion Transport, IL-17 signaling pathway
Received: 29 Jun 2025; Accepted: 30 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Song, Zhu, Cai, Yu, Liu, Yan, Lian, Li and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Wensheng Li, lsslws@mail.sysu.edu.cn
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