Ferulic acid alleviates cardiac injury by inhibiting avermectin-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis

Avermectin (AVM) is a broad-spectrum antibiotic from the macrolide class, extensively employed in fisheries and aquaculture. Nevertheless, its indiscriminate utilisation has resulted in a substantial accumulation of remnants in the aquatic ecosystem, potentially inflicting significant harm to the cardiovascular system of aquatic species. Ferulic acid (FA) is a naturally occurring compound in wheat grain husks. It possesses potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which can help reduce cardiovascular damage. Additionally, its affordability makes it an excellent option for aquaculture usage as a feed additive. This article explored the potential of FA as a feed additive to protect against AVM-induced heart damage in carp. We subjected carp to AVM for 30 days and provided them with a diet of 400 mg/kg of FA. FA substantially reduced the pathogenic damage to heart tissue caused by AVM, as shown through hematoxylin-eosin staining. The biochemical analysis revealed that FA markedly enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) while reducing the malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Furthermore, qPCR analysis demonstrated a substantial increase in the mRNA levels of transforming growth factor-β1 ( tgf-β1 ) and interleukin-10 ( il-10 ) simultaneously, significantly reducing the expression levels of interleukin-10 ( il-6 ), interleukin-1β ( il-1β ), tumor necrosis factor-α ( tnf-α ) and inductible nitric oxide synthase ( inos ). Through the mitochondrial apoptotic route, FA reduced AVM-induced cell death in carp heart cells by upregulating bcl-2 while downregulating the mRNA expression levels of bax , fas , caspase8 and caspase9 . In summary, FA alleviated cardiac injury by inhibiting AVM-induced oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and apoptosis in carp heart tissue.