Protective Role of Medicinal Plant Extracts against Organophosphate-Induced Toxicity in Aquatic Organisms
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59436/jsiane.452.2583-2093Keywords:
organophosphates; fish; oxidative stress; acetylcholinesterase; medicinal plants; phytochemicalsAbstract
Organophosphate (OP) pesticides enter freshwater ecosystems through agricultural runoff, aquaculture use, and improper disposal, where they can impair survival, growth, behavior, reproduction, and immune competence of aquatic organisms. A central toxic mechanism of OPs is acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition, causing cholinergic dysregulation; however, substantial evidence also links OP exposure to oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, genotoxicity, and multi-organ pathology in fish and other aquatic taxa, even at sublethal concentrations. Plant-derived extracts and phytochemicals (e.g., polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, saponins) offer a promising, environmentally compatible mitigation strategy due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and cytoprotective properties. Recent studies and reviews show that nutraceutical/plant interventions can normalize OP-disturbed biomarkers including AChE activity, lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde; MDA), non-enzymatic antioxidants (reduced glutathione; GSH), and enzymatic defenses (SOD, CAT, GPx, GST), while improving hemato-biochemical profiles and reducing histopathological lesions in organs such as liver, gill, kidney, and brain. This paper synthesizes current evidence on OP toxicity pathways in aquatic organisms and critically reviews protective roles of medicinal plant extracts, highlighting mechanisms of action, methodological approaches, and biomarker frameworks for efficacy assessment. A representative experimental methodology is presented for fish models exposed to chlorpyrifos or malathion, followed by example result tables and a figure template to support manuscript preparation. Collectively, the literature supports medicinal plant extracts as plausible adjuncts to reduce OP-induced oxidative injury and functional impairments in aquatic organisms, although standardization of extract chemistry, dose–response characterization, and long-term ecological validation remain key research priorities.
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