The effects of dietary Spirulina platensis or curcumin nanoparticles on performance, body chemical composition, blood biochemical, digestive enzyme, antioxidant and immune activities of Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings.

CONTEXT: Recently, prioritize has been given to using natural phytogenic or nano compounds as growth promoters and immunostimulants in fish diets as an alternative to antibiotics. AIMS: The main propose of this trial was to determine the impact of supplementing diets with spirulina or curcumin nanoparticles on the performance and health indicators of Nile tilapia fingerlings. METHODS: In a 56-day feeding trial, 180 tilapia fingerlings were assigned into three main groups, as follows: 1st, control group, 2nd, Spirulina platensis (SP; 5 g kg-1 diet) and 3rd, curcumin nanoparticles (CUR-NPs; 30 mg kg-1 diet). KEY RESULTS: Incorporating tilapia diets with SP or CUR-NPs significantly improved performance, body chemical analysis, blood biochemical and hematological indices, digestive enzyme activities, and antioxidant and immunostimulant features compared to the control. CONCLUSION: Fortified tilapia diets with CUR-NPs or SP efficiently boost the productivity and health of Nile tilapia fingerlings. IMPLICATIONS: The research introduces new practical solutions for applying safe feed additives as alternatives to antibiotics in tilapia farming.

Dietary organic selenium improves growth, serum biochemical indices, immune responses, antioxidative capacity, and modulates transcription of stress-related genes in Nile tilapia reared under sub-optimal temperature.

A 56-day feeding experiment was carried out to investigate the influences of dietary organic selenium (OS) on the growth, body composition, serum biochemistry, stress responses, and immune indices of Nile tilapia reared under sub-optimal temperature. Fish (5.61 ± 0.5 g) were allotted in seven experimental groups (5 replicates per each) and fed on a basal diet supplemented with 0.0 (CTR), 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6 mg OS/kg diet and reared under temperature ranged 21.50 ± 0.50 °C. Final body weight, weight gain, and specific growth rate were significantly increased in OS groups compared to the CTR group. Moreover, the feed conversion ratio was significantly decreased in OS groups, especially at fish groups fed 0.3-0.6 mg OS/kg diet compared to the other groups. The lowest survival rate (%) was found in OS groups between 0.0 and 0.2 mg/kg diet. A significant increase in the crude protein (%) and dry matter (%) in OS groups alongside a significant decrease in the ash (%) compared to the CTR group. Blood proteins (total protein, albumin, and globulin), reduced glutathione, immunoglobulin M, and complement C3 values alongside the serum lysozyme and catalase activities were significantly increased compared to the CTR group. Contrarywise, serum transaminases (alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase), cortisol, urea, and creatinine values were significantly decreased in OS groups than the CTR group. No significant differences were noticed in the mRNA transcripts of the hepatic heat shock protein 70 among all experimental groups. Meanwhile, significant differences were observed in the mRNA transcripts of hepatic heat shock protein 27, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase genes among all experimental groups. The second order polynomial regressions illustrated that the optimal inclusion OS level in diets for Nile tilapia reared under sub-optimal temperature is 0.36-0.39 mg/kg diet based on weight gain and cortisol levels, respectively. Conclusively, the present study exemplified that dietary inclusion with 0.36-0.39 mg OS/kg diet improved the growth, immunity and modulate the stress responses in Nile tilapia reared under sub-optimal temperature.

Dietary inclusion of watermelon rind powder and Lactobacillus plantarum: Effects on Nile tilapia's growth, skin mucus and serum immunities, and disease resistance.

An eight-week investigation was conducted to access the potential impact of dietary watermelon rind powder (WMRP) and L. plantarum CR1T5 (LP) administered individually or in combination on immunity, disease resistance, and growth rate of Nile tilapia fingerlings cultured in a biofloc system. Three hundred twenty fish (average weight 16.57 ± 0.14 g) were distributed into 16 tanks at a rate of 20 fish per tank. The fish were fed different diets: Diet 1 (0 g kg-1 WMRP and 0 CFU g-1 L. plantarum) (control), Diet 2 (40 g kg-1 WMRP), Diet 3 (108 CFU g-1 LP), and Diet 4 (40 g kg-1 WMRP + 108 CFU g-1 LP) for eight weeks. A completely randomized design (CRD) with four replications was applied. Skin mucus, serum immunity, and growth parameters were analyzed every 4 weeks, and a challenge study against S. agalactiae was conducted at the end of the experiment. The findings showed that the inclusion of WMRP + LP, administrated individually or in a mixture, significantly (P<0.05) stimulated growth, skin mucus, and serum immune parameters of Nile tilapia fingerlings compared with the control. The highest values were detected in fish fed the combination of WMRP and LP, as opposed to individual administration of either WMRP or LP, in which no significant differences were detected. Within the challenge study, the relative percent survival (RPS) in Diet 2, Diet 3, and Diet 4 was 48.0%, 52.0%, and 68.0%, respectively. Fish fed 40 g kg-1 WMRP + LP produced significantly higher RPS and protection against S. agalactiae than the other treated groups. Current results suggest that the dual administration of WMRP and LP maybe an effective feed additive for Nile tilapia grown in an indoor biofloc system, capable of improving growth parameters and increasing resistance to S. agalactiae infection.

Gut immune-related gene expression, histomorphometry and hematoimmunological assays in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fed Aspergillus oryzae fermented olive cake.

Fermentation strategy is well documented to improve the nutritional value of agricultural waste by-products such olive cake (OC), which, in turn, provides healthy, safe, and affordable feedstuff. This study assessed the combined impact of Aspergillus oryzae-fermented OC (AFOC) on the growth performance, intestinal morphometry, blood biochemistry, lysozyme activity, gut immune-related genes, and flesh quality of Nile tilapia. We divided 225 fish into five groups and further subdivided into three replicates (n = 15 each) and fed them five diets (Control, AFOC5, AFOC10, AFOC15, AFOC20) to determine AFOC nutritional value and its optimized incorporation level in the diet. The trial continued for 3 months. The crude protein content of OC improved by 7.77% after A. oryzae fermentation, while lipid content decreased by 14.19%. In addition, growth and feed utilization significantly improved at (10.8-11.2) % AFOC dietary level. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) significantly improved, and the serum lysozyme level was significantly higher in the AFOC10 group compared to other groups. Interestingly, gut-related inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF- α) and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß) revealed higher relative mRNA expression in the AFOC10 group compared to other groups. The histomorphometric parameters was greatly influenced by the AFOC incorporation level (10%-20%). These findings suggested that A. orzae fermentation modifies the nutritional quality of OC, as seen through its positive impact on the growth performance, local and systemic immunity, and intestinal absorptive capacity of Nile tilapia. The recommended dose for dietary AFOC was around 11.

Alterations in blood parameters, DNA damage, oxidative stress and antioxidant enzymes and immune-related genes expression in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) exposed to glyphosate-based herbicide.

In this study, effects of different concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 mg/L) of glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were investigated after a 14-day of exposure. After determination of LC50 value, effects of GBH on hematological and serum biochemical parameters in blood samples, DNA damage, lipid peroxidation and catalase activity in liver tissues, expression levels of antioxidant enzyme-related genes (SOD, CAT, GPx, and GST) and immune-related genes (TGF-ß, TGF-α and IL1-ß) were evaluated. The LC50 value has been found as 44.4 mg/L for GBH. GBH exposure at all concentrations caused alterations in blood parameters. GBH induced oxidative stress in liver and DNA damage in blood. Antioxidant enzyme-related genes were significantly up-regulated to suppress oxidative stress. On the other hand, the expression levels of immune-related genes decreased in fish exposure to particularly ≥20 mg/L GBH.

Replacing fish meal with rapeseed meal: potential impact on the growth performance, profitability measures, serum biomarkers, antioxidant status, intestinal morphometric analysis, and water quality of Oreochromis niloticus and Sarotherodon galilaeus fingerlings.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of using rapeseed meal as a partial replacement for fish meal in the diet of farmed tilapia. We evaluated the effect of this replacement on growth performance, profitability, serum biomarkers, antioxidant status, gut morphology, and water quality. A total of 960 apparently healthy Oreochromis niloticus (O. niloticus) and Sarotherodon galilaeus (S. galilaeus) fingerlings were randomly distributed into four dietary treatment groups for each tilapia species (triplicate design, 120 fish/group, and 40 fish/replicate). The diets consumed by these groups were formulated to replace fish meal (FM) with rapeseed meal (RM) at 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%, respectively, for 12 consecutive weeks. Results indicated that replacing RM in the diet of S. galilaeus (up to 20%) and O. niloticus (up to 10%) resulted in increased growth performance parameters, including final weight, weight gain, length, length gain, weight gain rate, and specific growth rate (SGR), and return parameters such as a total return and relative return compared to the control group. Moreover, an increase in RM up to 30% improved net profit and increased the mucosal length, intestinal villi length, and the number of goblet cells compared with results in its relative control groups. Additionally, we observed a significant increase in serum and liver AST and ALT with increased RM replacement. With respect to water parameters, we observed a significant difference in the ammonia levels, turbidity, and conductivity with the changes to the percentage of RM in the diets. As for the effect on each species, O. niloticus showed a more significant increase in all examined parameters compared to results in S. galilaeus. In summary, up to 10% RM can be used to replace FM without any adverse effects on the growth performance, profitability measures, intestinal morphometric analysis, or water quality.

Effects of sodium butyrate and Lippia origanoides essential oil blend on growth, intestinal microbiota, histology, and haemato-immunological response of Nile tilapia.

This study aimed to verify the effects of dietary supplementation with sodium butyrate and Lippia origanoides, combined and isolated, on the health and zootechnical performance of Nile tilapia juveniles Oreochromis niloticus. A total of 120 fish (5.38 ± 0.65 g) were randomly distributed in 12 experimental units and fed different experimental diets for 30 days, namely: commercial diet without supplementation (Unsupplemented); commercial diet supplemented with 0.5% sodium butyrate (Butyrate); commercial diet supplemented with 0.125% L. origanoides (Lippia) and commercial diet supplemented with a mixture of 0.5% sodium butyrate and 0.125% L. origanoides (Butyrate + Lippia). After preparing the experimental diets there was an increase in the pH of diet Butyrate when compared to the other diets. After 30 days the fish supplemented with Butyrate + Lippia showed reduction significate in the mean corpuscular haemoglobin, concentration of total heterotrophic bacteria in the intestine, and lymphocyte infiltrates in the liver. Besides that, the supplementation with Butyrate + Lippia promoted an increased number of intestinal villi compared to the fish Unsupplemented ones. Additionally, fish fed a diet containing only Lippia presented an increase in the villus perimeter in the posterior region of the gut and in the red blood cell number. Animals supplemented only with sodium butyrate demonstrated increased lactic acid bacterium in the gut and macrosteatosis in the liver, besides decreased melanomacrophages in the spleen. The use of sodium butyrate associated with essential oil had positive effects on the intestinal microbiota, intestinal structure, liver, and spleen integrity, suggesting a greater efficiency of the compounds when used together in the nutrition of Nile tilapia juveniles.

Metabolism and antioxidation regulation of total flavanones from Sedum sarmentosum Bunge against high-fat diet-induced fatty liver disease in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

Diet-induced fatty liver is a considerable threaten to fish aquaculture due to the popularity of the high-fat diet (HFD) feeding. Our study aims to investigate the effects of flavanones from Sedum sarmentosum Bunge (FSSB) on the liver function to identify a potential treatment for HFD-induced fatty liver disease. Physiological and pathological indicators were tested in the liver of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and results showed parameters including lipid metabolites, redox parameters, and inflammatory factors could be adequately restored to normal level by addition of 150 mg/kg FSSB to HFD. Proteomics analysis was performed in liver tissues from tilapia with normal diet (ND), HFD, and HFD+FSSB. Totally, 51 upregulated proteins and 77 downregulated proteins were identified in HFD groups and 67 proteins of them were restored after treated with FSSB. Bioinformatics analysis showed that differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in HFD+FSSB150 group compared with HFD group are mainly enriched in acety-CoA metabolic process, adenosine-triphosphate (ATP) biosynthetic process, lipid metabolic process, and phospholipid metabolic process. The dysregulated proteins were involved in peroxidosome proliferators-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway, fat digestion and absorption, and immune system. The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay further revealed that the expression of GST, PPARα, PPARγ, and multiple-inflammatory cytokines could be also reversed in HFD group under the treatment of 150 mg/kg FSSB. Our findings demonstrated FSSB is efficient for the treatment of fatty liver disease through regulation of lipid metabolism and antioxidation in Nile tilapia, providing a new treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in fish aquaculture.

Immune response and protective efficacy of two new adjuvants, Montanide™ ISA 763B VG and Montanide™ GEL02, administered with a Streptococcus agalactiae ghost vaccine in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

Streptococcus agalactiae is one of the most important pathogens infecting tilapia worldwide and causes meningoencephalitis, septicemia and high mortalities with considerable losses. Various types of vaccines have been developed against S. agalactiae infection, such as inactivated vaccines, live attenuated vaccines and subunit vaccines. Bacterial ghosts (BGs) are nonliving, empty cell envelopes and have been reported as novel vaccine candidates. Therefore, the main aims of this study were to develop an S. agalactiae ghost vaccine (SAGV) and to evaluate the immune response and protective effect of SAGV against S. agalactiae with two novel adjuvants, Montanide™ ISA 763B VG and Montanide™ GEL02. Nile tilapia, mean weight 50 g, were divided into four groups as follows; 1) fish injected with PBS as control, 2) fish injected with the SAGV alone; 3) fish injected with the SAGV+Montanide™ ISA 763B VG; and 4) fish injected with SAGV+Montanide™ GEL02. Following vaccination, innate immunity parameters including serum lysozyme, myeloperoxidase, catalase, and bactericidal activity were all significantly enhanced. Moreover, specific serum IgM antibodies were induced and reached their highest level 2-8 weeks post vaccination. Importantly, the relative percent survival of tilapia vaccinated against the SAGV formulated with both adjuvants was 80-93%. Furthermore, the transcription of immune-related genes (IgM, TCRß, IL-1ß, IL-8 and TNFα) were up-regulated in tilapia after vaccination, indicating that both cellular and humoral immune responses were induced by these adjuvanted vaccines. In summary, Montanide™ ISA 763B VG and Montanide™ GEL02 can enhance immunoprotection induced by the SAGV vaccine against streptococcosis, demonstrating that both have value as potential adjuvants of fish vaccines.

Effects of trophic 2,2', 4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) exposure in Oreochromis niloticus: A multiple biomarkers analysis.

Polybrominated diphenyl esters are emerging environmental contaminants with few toxicological data, being a concern for the scientific community. This study evaluated the effects of BDE-47 on the health of Oreochromis niloticus fish. The animals were exposed to three doses of BDE-47 (0, 0.253, 2.53, 25.3 ng g-1) every 10 days, for 80 days. The BDE-47 affected the hepatosomatic and gonadosomatic index in female and the condition factor by intermediate dose in both sexes. The levels of estradiol decreased and the T4 are increased, but the vitellogenin production was not modulated in male individuals. Changes in AChE, GST, LPO and histopathology were observed while the integrated biomarker response index suggests that the lowest dose of BDE-47 compromised the activity of antioxidant enzymes. The oral exposure to BDE-47 in environmental concentrations is toxic to O. niloticus and the use of multiple biomarkers is an attribution in ecotoxicology studies and biomonitoring programs.

Optimal combination of temperature and photoperiod for sex steroid hormone secretion and egg development of Oreochromis niloticus as determined by response surface methodology.

For successful reproduction of farmed fish, it is important to understand the relationship between gonadal development and environmental factors such as temperature and photoperiod. In this study, we determined the effects of temperature (T) and photoperiod (Pp) on serum estradiol-17ß (E2) and progesterone (P) contents, gonadosomatic index (GSI), and oocyte development in female tilapia. We used a central composite experimental design and response surface methodology. The experimental ranges were 18-36 °C for T and 0-24 h for Pp. The results show that the quadratic effects of T and Pp were highly significant for serum E2 and P contents, GSI, and the ratio of stage III to stage II oocytes (P < 0.01), and that the linear effects of T and Pp were also significant for these indicators (P < 0.05). The T × Pp interaction significantly affected serum E2 content (P < 0.05). Serum E2 and P content, GSI, and the ratio of stage III to stage II oocytes increased and then decreased with increasing T or Pp. The best combination of T and Pp for egg development was 28.6 °C/14.29 h. We observed the part of ovarian tissue containing stage V oocytes that are about to be discharged. Shortening the photoperiod or lowering the water temperature delayed the development of ovarian tissue so that most oocytes remained at stage II, and there were many atretic follicles. There were significant positive correlations between female GSI and serum E2, P, and the ratio of stage III to stage II oocytes. The results of this study provide a reference for the regulation of temperature and photoperiod to control broodstock gonadal maturation and hormone-induced broodstock spawning.

Comparative study of growth, feed efficiency, and hematological profile of Nile tilapia fingerlings in biofloc technology and recirculating aquaculture system.

The present study was conducted to compare the growth performance, feed efficiency, nitrogen retention, water quality, biofloc nutritional composition, and hematological profile of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings cultured in biofloc technology (BFT) and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) over a period of 60 days. This randomized study was designed with two treatments (BFT and RAS) and four replicates. Fish (n = 64; 7.29 ± 0.67) were allocated in eight 150 L aquaria kept at 26.72 ± 0.35 °C and fed until apparent satiation three times daily. Weight gain, apparent feed conversion ratio, and protein efficiency of fish in BFT were statistically superior than in RAS. There were no differences (p > 0.05) for temperature, dissolved oxygen, and nitrogen compounds, indicating similarity in the water quality between BFT and RAS. Furthermore, hematological parameters did not show differences (p > 0.05) between the systems. The chemical composition of biofloc differed (p < 0.05) over the experimental period for crude protein and mineral matter. The best responses of growth performance and feed efficiency of Nile tilapia fingerlings in BFT highlight the importance of bioflocs as a high biological value complementary feed.

Micropollutants impair the survival of Oreochromis niloticus and threat local species from Iguaçu River, Southern of Brazil.

The wastewater contamination of urban rivers is a concern for biodiversity and a consequence from poor urban conservation policies. In the current study, the impact of urban and industrial activities was investigated in Iguaçu river (Southern Brazil) using juvenile Oreochromis niloticus, after trophic and chronic exposure (25, 50 and 100 %), over 81 days. After exposure liver, gills, gonads, brain, muscle, and blood were sampled for chemical, biochemical, histopathological, genotoxic and molecular analyses. Water levels of persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, polycyclic aromatics hydrocarbon (PAHs) and metals were investigated. The redox unbalance, histopathological and increase in vitellogenin expression in fish revealed both the bioavailability of micropollutants and their harmful effects. According to the results, the level of Iguaçu river pollution negatively impacts the health of O. niloticus revealing and highlighting the risk of this pollution exposure to biota and human populations.

Evaluation of hematological parameters, oxidative stress and DNA damage in the cichlid Australoheros facetus exposed to the fungicide azoxystrobin.

Azoxystrobin (AZX) is a broad-spectrum systemic fungicide massively used worldwide. Its mode of action consists in the inhibition of mitochondrial respiration decreasing the synthesis of ATP and leading to oxidative stress in the target fungus. However, whether this effect occurs in non target organisms has been scarcely studied. The objectives of this work were (1) to evaluate biomarkers of oxidative stress, hematological, physiological and of genotoxicity in the native cichlid fish Australoheros facetus exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of AZX and (2) to compare these biomarkers in different developmental stages using juvenile and adult fish (n = 6) exposed during 48 h. The exposure concentrations were 0 (negative control, C (-)), 0.05, 0.5, 5 and 50 µg/L AZX of the commercial formulation AMISTAR®. Blood was drawn to evaluate hematology, and DNA damage through the comet assay (CA) and micronucleus test (MN). Genotoxicity was observed by mean of both biomarkers in juvenile and adult fish at 50 µg/L AZX. Samples of liver and gills were used to determine antioxidant enzymes activity, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents. In juvenile fish inhibition of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was observed in liver at 0.05, 5 and 50 µg/L AZX and in gills at 5 and 50 µg/L AZX. Glutathione- S- transferases (GST) activity increased in gills at all AZX concentrations tested. In adult fish, increase of hepatic catalase (CAT) activity at 0.5 and 50 µg/L AZX and MDA content at 50 µg/L AZX were observed. In gills only H2O2 content showed changes at 50 µg/L AZX. The sensitivity showed by gills constitutes the first report about AZX toxicity in this organ. All these negative effects were observed in the range of realistic AZX concentrations, which warns of the possible consequences that it may have on the health of aquatic biota. Differences between juvenile and adult fish demonstrate the relevance of considering the developmental stage on the evaluation of biomarkers.

Comparative study on the effect of dietary ß-carotene and phycocyanin extracted from Spirulina platensis on immune-oxidative stress biomarkers, genes expression and intestinal enzymes, serum biochemical in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus.

The current trial investigated the roles of ß-carotene and phycocyanin extracted from Spirulina platensis on growth, serum biochemical, digestive enzymes, antioxidant defense, immune responses, and immune gene expression in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Fish (1.52 ± 0.10 g) were randomly stocked to three treatments with three replicates (12 fish per replicate) in nine aquaria (60 L glass aquarium for each), and reared for 70-days. Three tested diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isolipidic, and were offered for experimental fish until ad-libitum three times daily at 09:00 a.m., 11.00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. The first diet (control) was without supplementation. About 50 mg ß-carotene and 50 mg phycocyanin kg-1 were supplemented to the other experimental diets, respectively. Results indicated that feed intake was not (P > 0.05) differ among experimental diets. Compared to control diet wight gain and specific growth rate were significantly (P < 0.05) in fish fed diet containing ß-carotene, while, the highest weight gain and the best FCR were detected in phycocyanin diet. Survival fish among treatments was significantly (P < 0.05) differ and the highest survival rate was showed in fish fed diet supplemented with phycocyanin. Either ß-carotene or phycocyanin significantly (P < 0.05) improved the intestinal digestive enzymes compared with control diet, where the highest values of chymotrypsin, trypsin, lipase and amylase were noticed in fish fed phycocyanin. Diets supplemented with ß-carotene and phycocyanin significantly (P < 0.05) improved hematology parameters contents compared with to the control diet, and the best contents were detected in fish fed diet supplemented with phycocyanin. The highest significant (P < 0.05) phagocytic, lysozyme, immunoglobulin M (IgM), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) activities were recorded in diet supplemented with phycocyanin. The transcripts of interferon gamma and interleukin 1ß genes were (P < 0.05) up-regulated in the liver of fish fed diet supplemented with ß-carotene and phycocyanin, but expression of HSP70 gene down-regulated in fish fed ß-carotene and phycocyanin containing diet compared control. The highest gene expression of the interferon gamma and interleukin 1ß was observed in fish fed phycocyanin.

Effects of dietary Nannochloropsis oculata on growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, immune responses, and resistance against Aeromonas veronii challenge in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

The current work was planned to assess the effects of dietary microalga, Nannochloropsis oculata (NP) on the growth indices, serum biochemistry, non-specific immunity, and resistance of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) juveniles against challenge with pathogenic Aeromonas veronii. Fish (10.21 ± 0.28 g) were randomly divided into four treatments in triplicates and were fed on diets supplemented with different levels of NP (0, 5, 10, and 15%) for eight weeks. The results showed that the dietary 5% NP significantly improved the growth parameters (final body weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, and total feed intake) (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the feed conversion ratio was significantly decreased in NP-supplemented groups with respect to the control group. The serum protein profile (total protein, albumin, globulin, and albumin/globulin ratio) was significantly decreased by 15% NP supplemented group. Meanwhile, liver enzymes (alanine transaminase, and aspartate transaminase) activities were not significantly affected by NP dietary supplementation (P < 0.05). Serum lysozyme activity, nitric oxide (NO), and nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) levels were significantly enhanced only in 5% NP supplemented group (P < 0.05). Interestingly, the hepatopancreatic and intestinal tissues had apparently normal histomorphology of Nile tilapia fed at 5% NP-supplemented diets. Significant upregulation of cytokines [interleukin 1beta (IL-1ß), interleukin 8 (IL-8), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF- ß), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)], with significant downregulation of the antioxidant gene [superoxide dismutase (SOD)] in 10% and 15% NP supplemented groups. Attractively, the relative level of protection (RLP) against challenge with pathogenic A. veronii was significantly elevated in 10% and 15% NP supplemented groups. Conclusively, the obtained results reflect the beneficial roles of dietary NP to improve growth and boost the immune responses of Nile tilapia.

Dietary inclusion of chestnut (Castanea sativa) polyphenols to Nile tilapia reared in biofloc technology: Impacts on growth, immunity, and disease resistance against Streptococcus agalactiae.

A feeding trial was carried out to examine the effects of adding chestnut (Castanea sativa) polyphenols (CSP) on the growth, skin mucus and serum immune parameters of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Five experimental diets with inclusion levels of 0, 1, 2, 4, and 8 g kg-1 of CSP were fed to Nile tilapia fingerlings (12.77 ± 0.17 g fish-1) during an eight-week trial. Fish were analyzed on the fourth and eighth week to determine the influences of CSP on growth, skin mucus, and serum immune parameters. Challenging test versus Streptococcus agalactiae was evaluated at the end of the trial. Fish fed with CSP enriched diets displayed a significant increase (P ≤ 0.05) in growth and a decline in feed conversion ratio (P ≤ 0.05). Similarly, skin mucus and serum immune parameters were significantly increased (P ≤ 0.05) in fish fed CSP with respect to the control. The effects were already evident four weeks after the CSP administration. The disease protection test displayed that the fish's survival rate was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in CSP diets over the control. The relative percentage of survival (RSP) was 62.5, 75.0, 58.3, and 37.5 in fish fed diets contained 1, 2, 4, and 8 g kg-1 CSP, respectively. The best effect on growth, immune response, and disease resistance were shown in Nile tilapia fed with a diet supplementation of 2 g kg-1 CSP.

Bath immersion pharmacokinetics of florfenicol in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

Drug administration by immersion can be a preferable method in certain conditions especially for treating small-sized, anorexic, or valuable fish. Pharmacokinetic information regarding bath treatment is considerably lacking in comparison to other common administration routes. The current study aimed to investigate if immersion can be an effective route to administer florfenicol (FF) for treatment in Nile tilapia. Nile tilapia reared at 28°C were immersed with FF solution at concentrations of 50, 100, 200, 500, and 500/200 (3 hr/117 hr) ppm for 120 hr and moved to drug-free freshwater for another 24 hr. The serum FF concentration in 100, 200, and 500/200 ppm groups reached steady-state at 12 hr with concentrations of 2.44, 3.04, and 5.26 µg/ml, respectively, which were about 2% of the bathing concentrations. The target therapeutic levels of 1-4 µg/ml were attained and maintained within 1-12 hr, depending on the immersion concentration and the target MIC. Serum FF reached the target with shorter time at higher bathing concentration. Following the 120-hr bath, the serum FF declined with the first-order half-life of approximately 10 hr. A minimum of 100 ppm FF is required for treatment purpose, and an initial high loading concentration followed by maintenance concentration is a plausible way to reach in vivo therapeutic level in short time. Greater than 99% of the residual FF in the bathing water could be removed within 15 min by 0.05% NaOCl. Our results indicated that bath immersion is a promising potential route for FF administration in Nile tilapia.

Hypoxia reduced upper thermal limits causing cellular and nuclear abnormalities of erythrocytes in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus.

Global warming is a threat across the world that leads to estimates of the upper thermal limits of ectothermic species. Increased water temperature up-regulates oxygen consumption and metabolic rates, and alters the physiological processes. In this study, we identified the critical thermal maxima (CTmax) and physiological responses under normoxia and hypoxia in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. CTmax was 41.25 °C under hypoxia and 44.50 °C under normoxia. Compared to normoxia, lower values of hemoglobin (Hb) and red blood cells (RBCs) were observed at the CTmax under hypoxia. In contrast, higher values of white blood cells (WBCs) and blood glucose (Glu) levels were observed at the CTmax under hypoxia. Consequently, higher frequencies of micronucleus, cellular and nuclear abnormalities of erythrocytes were observed at the CTmax under hypoxia. These results suggest that high temperature tolerance and subsequent physiology are significantly affected by the oxygen supply in Nile tilapia. As climate vulnerability is intensifying day by day, this data will be helpful in successful management practice for the aquatic environment having low oxygen content.

Gemfibrozil improves lipid metabolism in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus fed a high-carbohydrate diet through peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-α activation.

High carbohydrate diet (HCD) can induce lipid metabolism disorder, characterized by excessive lipid in farmed fish. Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-α (PPARα) plays an important role in lipid homeostasis. In this study, we hypothesize that PPARα can improve lipid metabolism in fish fed HCD. Fish (3.03 ± 0.11 g) were fed with three diets: control (30% carbohydrate), HCD (45% carbohydrate) and HCG (HCD supplemented with 200 mg/kg gemfibrozil, an agonist of PPARα) for eight weeks. The fish fed HCG had higher growth rate and protein effiency than those fed the HCD diet, whereas the opposite trend was observed in feed conversion ratio, hepatosomatic index and mesenteric fat index. Additionally, fish fed HCG significantly decreased lipid accumulation in the whole body, liver and adipose tissues compared to those fed the HCD diet. Furthermore, fish in the HCG group significantly increased the mRNA and protein expression and protein dephosphorylation of PPARα. The HCG group also significantly increased the mRNA level of the downstream target genes of PPARα, whereas the opposite trend occured in the mRNA level of lipolysis-related genes compared to the HCD group. Besides, fish in the HCG group remarkably decreased the contents of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and malondialdehyde, whereas the opposite occured in the activities of antioxidative enzymes and anti-inflammatory cytokine genes compared to the HCD group. This study indicates that gemfibrozil can improve lipid metabolism and maintain high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity through activating PPARα in Nile tilapia fed a high carbohydrate diet.