article · Aquaculture Reports
Barberry fruit extract demonstrates significant potential as a dietary additive to improve health parameters in Siberian sturgeon. An eight-week feeding trial evaluated diets supplemented with up to 750 milligrams per kilogram of extract in juvenile fish. Fish fed the extract showed increased white blood cell and lymphocyte counts, alongside elevated serum complement and lysozyme activities. Skin mucus defences also displayed enhanced activities of protease, alkaline phosphatase, esterase, and lysozyme, particularly at higher inclusion levels. In addition, the extract augmented antioxidant enzyme activities, reduced malondialdehyde levels, and downregulated the expression of stress-related genes, namely heat shock protein and cytochrome P450. Crucially, sturgeon fed dietary barberry fruit extract demonstrated enhanced antibacterial defences against several pathogenic bacteria, highlighting its role in promoting immune and stress resilience.
Aquaculture operations frequently encounter disease outbreaks and stress-related mortality in intensively farmed fish stocks. Demonstrating that a natural botanical extract can bolster immune systems, strengthen protective skin mucus enzymes, and fight bacterial pathogens provides valuable insight for fish health management. Such dietary strategies could help maintain fish welfare and resilience without relying solely on traditional chemical treatments.
This research could support the development of functional feed additives by aquafeed manufacturers for sturgeon farming. The findings demonstrate applied testing in an eight-week feeding trial, showing clear physiological and antibacterial benefits. However, moving this forward requires field validation under commercial production conditions, stability testing in manufactured feeds, and economic assessments to determine viability compared to existing feed supplements.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Barberry fruit (BF) has a long history as a folk remedy due to its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cholagogic properties. This study was performed to determine the dietary effect of BF extract on serum and skin mucus immune parameters, antioxidant status, and stress-selected gene expression in Siberian sturgeon. One hundred and fifty fish (30 ± 1 g initial weight) were fed with different levels of BF extract including 0 (control), 150, 300, 600, and 750 mg kg−1 for 8-week. After the feeding trial, the counts of white blood cells and lymphocytes were increased in BF-added groups compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The highest levels of serum complement component 4, lysozyme activity, and alternative complement were obtained in 750 mg kg−1 BF extract treatment (P < 0.05). The highest activities of protease, alkaline phosphatase, and esterase were obtained in the skin mucus samples of the fish fed with 750 mg kg−1 BF extract (P < 0.05). The group fed diets supplemented with 600 and 750 mg kg−1 BF extract showed the highest mucus lysozyme activity (P < 0.05). The activities of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were increased in fish treated with different levels of BF extract (P < 0.05), while malondialdehyde content was decreased in BF-added groups compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Heat shock protein and cytochrome P450 mRNA expressions were lowest in the 750 mg kg−1 BF extract treatment group, while the highest levels of both genes were found in the control group (P < 0.05). The results showed marked improved antibacterial capacity of Siberian sturgeon fed dietary BF against Streptococcus iniae, Yersinia ruckeri, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Aeromonas hydrophila, and Lactococcus garvieae. This study unveiled the promising results of dietary BF extract, especially at 750 mg kg−1, in the regulation of immune and antioxidant defense systems along with the stress responses in Siberian sturgeon.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1016/j.aqrep.2022.101041
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
