Changes in physiological responses and immunity of blunt snout bream Megalobrama amblycephala from transport stress.

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

This study aimed to investigate the effects of transport stress on the physiological responses and immunity of Megalobrama amblycephala (blunt snout bream). Fish (109.67 ± 1.51g) were sampled at nine time points: before transport (control), at 0h, 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h, 3days, and 7days after 4h of medium-distance transportation, and four fish were sampled in each time point. The results showed that plasma cortisol, triiodothyronine (T3), complement component 3 (C3), complement component 4 (C4), immunoglobulin M (IgM) and nitrogen monoxide (NO) concentrations, and alternative complement pathway (ACH50), acid phosphatase (ACP), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activities all reached the peak at 0h after transportation; C4 and NO concentrations as well as ACP and MPO activities returned to the control level after 1h, ACH50 activity as well as cortisol, T3, and IgM concentration returned to the control level after 12h, and C3 concentration returned to the control level after 24h respectively. Plasma glucose and total protein concentrations as well as lysozyme activity all reached the peak at 1h after transportation, total protein concentration and lysozyme activity returned to the control level after 3h, and glucose concentration returned to the control level after 6h (P < 0.05). Liver heat shock protein 70 expression reached the peak at 1h after transportation, and returned to the control level after 24h; liver heat shock protein 90 expression reached the peak at 0h after transportation and returned to the control level after 12h (P < 0.05). Overall, these findings suggested that 4h of medium-distance transportation caused stress response of blunt snout bream, and transport stress had a significant effect on plasma indicators. But the recovery of 24h after transport could return the physiological response, immune indexes, and the expression of heat shock protein to the normal level. This also provided data support for the medium-distance transportation of blunt snout bream in the future.