The Molluscicidal Activity of Green Synthesized Copper Oxide–Based Annona squamosa Seed Extract Nanoparticles on the Feeding Behavior, Biochemical, Molecular, and Immunohistochemical Alterations of Biomphalaria alexandrina Snails

• Published in: Biological trace element research Vol. 202; no. 5; pp. 2327 - 2337
• Main Authors: Hussein, Ahmed A. A., Abd El-latif, Mona B., Saad El-Din, Marwa I., El-Shenawy, Nahla S., Hammam, Olfat, Ibrahim, Amina M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-05-2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alkaline phosphatase; Animals; Annona; Annona squamosa; Biochemistry; Biological activity; Biomarkers; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomphalaria; Biomphalaria alexandrina; Biotechnology; Cells; Contamination; Copper - pharmacology; Copper oxides; Degeneration; Electron microscopes; Exposure; Feeding Behavior; Feeding habits; Gastropoda; Glycogen; Glycogen phosphorylase; Glycogens; Hermaphrodites; Hermaphroditism; Lethal limits; Life Sciences; Molluscacides - toxicity; Molluscicides; Mollusks; Mortality causes; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Nutrition; Oncology; Oxides; Phosphatase; Phosphorylase; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Scanning electron microscopy; Seeds; Snails; Spermatozoa; Sublethal dosage; Toxicity tests; Tubules; Characterization of CuO NPs; L; Molluscicidal activity; Copper oxide nanoparticles; Biomphalaria alexandrina; Annona squamosa L
• ISSN: 0163-4984; 1559-0720
• DOI: 10.1007/s12011-023-03823-9

Because of their low ecological impact, plant molluscicides have garnered much attention. The work aimed to find out if
Annona squamosa
(AS) seed extract has a molluscicidal impact on
Biomphalaria alexandrina
snails and enhances this extract by adding CuO nanoparticles (NPs). Using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and PANalytical X’Pert PRO X-ray diffractometer (XRD), the presence of the green 
A. squamosa-based
 CuO NPs (AS-CuO NPs) was confirmed. After 24 h of exposure, the half-lethal concentration (LC
50
) of AS-CuO NPs was more toxic to mature
B. alexandrina
than the aqueous extract of AS seeds (LC
50
: 119.25 mg/L vs. 169.03 mg/L). The results show that snails exposed to sublethal doses of AS-CuO NPs at LC
10
or LC
25
(95.4 or 106.7 mg/L, respectively) had much higher glucose levels and alkaline phosphatase activity than those not exposed. Nevertheless, there was no discernible change in the protein content in general or glycogen phosphorylase production. Histological and immunohistochemical analysis showed that snails exposed to
A. squamosa
-derived CuO NPs LC
10
had shrinking digestive tubules and degeneration as well as vacuolation of many digestive, secretory, ova, and sperm cells, with PCNA expressing positively in the hermaphrodite gland and digestive tubule cells. The toxic profile of green CuO NPs produced by 
A. squamosa
may damage the biological activity of 
B. alexandrina
 snails; thus, this compound could be used as a molluscicidal base. Furthermore, 
B. alexandrina
 proved to be a useful biomarker of nanomaterial contamination.