article · Animals
Feeding juvenile Nile tilapia a diet supplemented with Aspergillus oryzae for twelve weeks helps protect them from the adverse effects of salinity stress. When fish were exposed to salinity levels ranging from zero to twenty practical salinity units for fifteen days, the supplemented diet significantly reduced stress and liver damage markers, including cortisol, glucose, alanine transaminase, and malondialdehyde. Additionally, the supplement enhanced total blood proteins, non-specific immune responses such as lysozyme and phagocytic activity, and the activity of antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase. Gene expression analysis in liver tissue showed reduced levels of heat shock protein 70 and interferon-gamma, alongside increased expression of interleukins 1 beta and 8. These results demonstrate that dietary Aspergillus oryzae improves immunity, reduces oxidative stress, and mitigates physiological disruptions caused by environmental salinity in farmed Nile tilapia.
Salinity changes can cause severe physiological stress, immune suppression, and mortality in freshwater aquaculture species such as Nile tilapia. Using a dietary additive like Aspergillus oryzae provides a nutritional strategy to enhance resilience against saline environments. This approach supports healthier stock management and improved survival rates in fish farming operations facing varying water salinity conditions.
This research points to a potential feed additive for aquaculture feed manufacturers and tilapia farmers seeking to improve fish tolerance to salinity stress. The study demonstrates applied and tested laboratory-scale efficacy using a specific dosage of Aspergillus oryzae over twelve weeks. Further commercial-scale feeding trials and cost-benefit evaluations would be required before integrating this fungal supplement into commercial aquafeed formulations.
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Nile tilapia Juveniles (19.50 ± 0.5 g) were fed on a basal diet (control group (CTR)) and a diet supplemented with 1 g <i>Aspergillus oryzae</i> (ASP) per kg diet for 12 weeks. Fish were then subjected to different salinity levels (0, 10, 15, and 20 practical salinity units (psu)) for another 15 days. Two-way ANOVA analysis revealed that the individual effects of ASP in Nile tilapia exposed to salinity levels presented a significant decrease (<i>p</i> < 0.05) in values of haemato-biochemical indices (such as glucose, cortisol, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and malondialdehyde) compared to those in the CTR group exposed to the same salinity levels. Moreover, significant increases (<i>p</i> < 0.05) of blood protein profile (albumin, globulin, and total protein), non-specific immune responses (lysozyme activity, phagocytic activity, and phagocytic index), and antioxidant enzymes activities (glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase) were observed in ASP-supplemented groups. Interestingly, there was significant (<i>p</i> < 0.05) downregulation of the mRNA expression values of heat shock protein 70 and interferon-gamma genes, alongside upregulation of the mRNA expression values of interleukin 1 beta and interleukin 8 genes, in the hepatic tissues of Nile tilapia in ASP-supplemented groups exposed to different salinities compared to those in the CTR group exposed to the same salinity levels. Taken together, these findings supported the potential efficacy of dietary supplementation with ASP in alleviating salinity stress-induced haemato-biochemical alterations, immune suppression, and oxidative stress in the exposed Nile tilapia.
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DOI: 10.3390/ani11061621
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