E-ISSN 2536-9520 | ISSN 1110-2047
 
2026, Vol: 91
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Original Article
Online Published: 25 Sep 2026
 


Nutrigenomic Effects of Zinc Oxide, Citrus Oil, and Pumpkin Seed Oil on Sperm Motility, Mitochondrial Activity, and Antioxidant Gene Expression in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Engy T. Megahed, Eman M. Abbas, Abeer F. El-nahas, Shabaan Hemeda, Hosam Elsaied.


Abstract
Broodstock nutrition plays a pivotal role in aquaculture reproduction, extending to the molecular regulation of sperm quality. This study evaluated the nutrigenomic effects of kaolinite-doped zinc oxide (ZnO), citrus essential oil (CEO), and pumpkin seed oil (PSO) on Oreochromis niloticus sperm transcriptome. Following a 60-day feeding trial, the expression of nine-gene panel related to motility, mitochondrial bioenergetics, antioxidant defense, and proteostasis was quantified in fish semen using RT-qPCR. All genes were significantly affected by dietary treatments (p < 0.05), indicating strong transcriptional responsiveness. CEO induced the most pronounced upregulation, particularly in motility (rsph1, tekt4) and mitochondrial (ndufa13) genes. ZnO showed moderate transcriptional effects but was associated with the strongest downregulation of the stress-related gene st13 and superior sperm kinematic performance. PSO elicited selective gene activation, notably increasing tcp1 and selenof, without corresponding functional improvement. Antioxidant genes were consistently upregulated across treatments, suggesting enhanced cellular protection. These findings show that each dietary treatment produced a distinct pattern of sperm gene expression. This study highlights the importance of integrating molecular and phenotypic assessments and supports nutrigenomic strategies to optimize reproductive performance in aquaculture species.

Key words: Antioxidant gene expression; Broodstock nutrition; Mitochondrial bioenergetics; Nutrigenomics; Sperm quality; Oreochromis niloticus


 
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How to Cite this Article
Pubmed Style

Megahed ET, Abbas EM, El-nahas AF, Hemeda S, Elsaied H. Nutrigenomic Effects of Zinc Oxide, Citrus Oil, and Pumpkin Seed Oil on Sperm Motility, Mitochondrial Activity, and Antioxidant Gene Expression in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). AJVS. 2026; 91(0): 338-349. doi:10.5455/ajvs.326688

Web Style

Megahed ET, Abbas EM, El-nahas AF, Hemeda S, Elsaied H. Nutrigenomic Effects of Zinc Oxide, Citrus Oil, and Pumpkin Seed Oil on Sperm Motility, Mitochondrial Activity, and Antioxidant Gene Expression in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). https://www.alexjvs.com/?mno=326688 [Access: October 18, 2026]. doi:10.5455/ajvs.326688

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Megahed ET, Abbas EM, El-nahas AF, Hemeda S, Elsaied H. Nutrigenomic Effects of Zinc Oxide, Citrus Oil, and Pumpkin Seed Oil on Sperm Motility, Mitochondrial Activity, and Antioxidant Gene Expression in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). AJVS. 2026; 91(0): 338-349. doi:10.5455/ajvs.326688


Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Megahed ET, Abbas EM, El-nahas AF, Hemeda S, Elsaied H. Nutrigenomic Effects of Zinc Oxide, Citrus Oil, and Pumpkin Seed Oil on Sperm Motility, Mitochondrial Activity, and Antioxidant Gene Expression in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). AJVS. (2026), [cited October 18, 2026]; 91(0): 338-349. doi:10.5455/ajvs.326688


Harvard Style

Megahed, E. T., Abbas, . E. M., El-nahas, . A. F., Hemeda, . S. & Elsaied, . H. (2026) Nutrigenomic Effects of Zinc Oxide, Citrus Oil, and Pumpkin Seed Oil on Sperm Motility, Mitochondrial Activity, and Antioxidant Gene Expression in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). AJVS, 91 (0), 338-349. doi:10.5455/ajvs.326688


Turabian Style

Megahed, Engy T., Eman M. Abbas, Abeer F. El-nahas, Shabaan Hemeda, and Hosam Elsaied. 2026. Nutrigenomic Effects of Zinc Oxide, Citrus Oil, and Pumpkin Seed Oil on Sperm Motility, Mitochondrial Activity, and Antioxidant Gene Expression in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Alexandria Journal of Veterinary Sciences, 91 (0), 338-349. doi:10.5455/ajvs.326688


Chicago Style

Megahed, Engy T., Eman M. Abbas, Abeer F. El-nahas, Shabaan Hemeda, and Hosam Elsaied. "Nutrigenomic Effects of Zinc Oxide, Citrus Oil, and Pumpkin Seed Oil on Sperm Motility, Mitochondrial Activity, and Antioxidant Gene Expression in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)." Alexandria Journal of Veterinary Sciences 91 (2026), 338-349. doi:10.5455/ajvs.326688


MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Megahed, Engy T., Eman M. Abbas, Abeer F. El-nahas, Shabaan Hemeda, and Hosam Elsaied. "Nutrigenomic Effects of Zinc Oxide, Citrus Oil, and Pumpkin Seed Oil on Sperm Motility, Mitochondrial Activity, and Antioxidant Gene Expression in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)." Alexandria Journal of Veterinary Sciences 91.0 (2026), 338-349. Print. doi:10.5455/ajvs.326688


APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Megahed, E. T., Abbas, . E. M., El-nahas, . A. F., Hemeda, . S. & Elsaied, . H. (2026) Nutrigenomic Effects of Zinc Oxide, Citrus Oil, and Pumpkin Seed Oil on Sperm Motility, Mitochondrial Activity, and Antioxidant Gene Expression in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Alexandria Journal of Veterinary Sciences, 91 (0), 338-349. doi:10.5455/ajvs.326688




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    The Alexandria Journal of Veterinary Sciences (AJVS) Official Journal of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University   ISSN: 1110-204 ... Read more.



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    Alexandria University
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    Egypt.

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