The Optimal Dosage of Fermented Herbal Extract on Growth and Feed Efficiency of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

Owing to their availability, cost effectiveness and environmental-friendly nature, plant extracts are promising additives for fish farming. This study aims to determine the optimal dosage of fermented herbal extract (FHE)-composed of Morus alba (33.3%), Curcuma xanthorrhiza (33.3%), and Boesenbergia rotunda (33.3%)-for growth enhancement and feed utilisation efficiency of Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings. Fermentation was conducted using probiotics Lactobacillus casei (Yakult®, Tokyo, Japan) and Saccharomyces cereviceae (commercial baker's yeast). The FHE was high in flavonoid and alkaloid, vitamin C, potassium, natrium, lipase and protease. Four doses of FHE treatments, namely treatment A (0 mg/kg of feed); treatment B (100 mg/kg of feed); treatment C (300 mg/kg of feed); treatment D (500 mg/kg of feed) were compared. After subjected to 35 days of culture, tilapias subjected to FHE-coated feed exhibited better weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), and feed efficiency (FE) compared to control. The best dosage that gave the highest growth and feed efficiency was treatment C (300 mg/kg of feed). Furthermore, the feed efficiencies of FHE-incorporated treatments were positively influenced by the increased in length and density of intestinal villi, number of goblet cells, lymphocytes, as well as nutrient retention to support growth. The results of this study indicate that FHE is a promising functional feed additive to stimulate growth and improve feed efficiency in tilapia farming.

Effect of prolonged exposure to low concentrations of formaldehyde on the corticotropin releasing hormone neurons in the hypothalamus and adrenocorticotropic hormone cells in the pituitary gland in female mice.

We examine the effect on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal gland (HPA) axis of prolonged exposure to low levels of formaldehyde in female C3H/He mice, using immunocytochemical and RT-PCR methods. Two groups of female mice were exposed to differing concentrations (0, 80, 400, 2000 ppb) of formaldehyde inhalation for 16 h/day, 5 days/week, for 12 weeks. The corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH)-immunoreactive (ir) neurons in the hypothalamus were then examined, together with the adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH)-ir cells and ACTH mRNA in the pituitary. One group comprised sham control mice. The other group was made allergic by injection of ovalbumin (OVA) and alum prior to exposure to formaldehyde, since most sick building syndrome (SBS) sufferers are women with allergic disease. These animals were further exposed to aerosolized OVA as a booster four times during the exposure period. Our results showed a dose-dependent increase in the number of CRH-ir neurons in the non-allergy (NAG) group. A similar pattern was found in ACTH-ir cells and ACTH mRNA. The allergy (AG) model group showed an increase in basal levels of all markers of HPA activity. Moreover, the AG mice appeared to respond to the lowest concentration of formaldehyde, and all indices of HPA activity were reduced at the highest concentrations of formaldehyde. These results relate to an important clinical issue and also have implications in the broader area of HPA regulation. We conclude that our experimental system may be a suitable animal model for SBS and/or multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS).

Age-related changes in growth hormone (GH) cells in the pituitary gland of male mice are mediated by GH-releasing hormone but not by somatostatin in the hypothalamus.

Using immunocytochemical and morphometric methods, we examine changes with age of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) in the arcuate nucleus (ARC), changes of somatostatin (SS) in the periventricular nucleus (PeN) of the hypothalamus, and changes of growth hormone (GH) cells in the anterior pituitary in male C57BL/6J mice at 2 months old (2 M), 4 M, 12 M and 24 M. The number of GHRH-ir neurons decreased significantly with age. The number of SS-ir neurons did not differ significantly between these all age groups. The volume of the anterior pituitary and the number of adenohypophysial parenchymal cells fell dramatically from 4 to 12 M. The proportion of GH-ir cells decreased significantly with age, and in absolute number from 4 to 12 M and in size from 2 to 4 M and from 4 to 12 M. These results suggest that the reduction in GH-ir cells in male mice is modulated by the reduction in GHRH-ir neurons, but not by SS-ir neurons.