The effect on paraoxonase and arylesterase activities of bee pollen against deltamethrin in Cyprinus carpio

This study aimed to determine whether dietary bee pollen protects common carp (Cyprinus carpio) from deltamethrin (DM)-induced oxidative stress by modulating serum paraoxonase (PON) and arylesterase (ARE) activities. DM, a widely used pyrethroid insecticide, can impair antioxidant defenses in aquatic organisms. PON and ARE, two HDL-associated enzymes with antioxidant properties, were used as biomarkers to evaluate oxidative stress. Fish were exposed to two sublethal concentrations of DM (0.018 and 0.036 µg/L) for 14 days, with or without dietary supplementation of 2% chestnut-origin bee pollen. Results showed that while DM exposure significantly reduced serum PON and ARE activities, indicating oxidative stress and enzyme inhibition, bee pollen supplementation effectively counteracted these effects in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). However, co-administration of the bee pollen partially restored both enzyme activities in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). The improvement suggests that bee pollen, rich in flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and vitamins, exerts antioxidant effects that mitigate DM-induced toxicity. Bee pollen alone did not significantly alter PON or ARE activity compared to controls, confirming its safety and potential as a dietary supplement. Overall, this study provides evidence that bee pollen can serve as a natural antioxidant supplement to protect aquatic organisms against pesticide-induced oxidative damage, thereby contributing to the sustainable health management of aquaculture. These findings demonstrate that bee pollen can protect against pesticide-induced oxidative damage and may serve as a natural therapeutic agent in aquaculture.