Serum Immune Parameters Research Articles

Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Glycerol Monolaurate on Growth Performance, Digestive Enzymes, Serum Immune and Antioxidant Parameters, and Intestinal Morphology in Black Sea Bream.

An eight-week feeding trial was conducted to examine the impact of dietary supplementation with glycerol monolaurate (GML) on juvenile black sea bream. A basal diet was formulated containing 24% fish meal, while five additional diets were prepared, each supplemented with varying levels of GML: GML1 (0.01%), GML2 (0.02%), GML3 (0.04%), GML4 (0.08%), and GML5 (0.16%). Triplicate tanks were randomly allocated to each diet, each containing 20 fish with an initial weight of 1.55 ± 0.05 g. By the trial's end, the GML3 group displayed a notably higher final body weight (FBW), weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), and protein efficiency ratio (PER) compared to the other groups (p < 0.05), but the FCR was significantly higher in the control group. However, no significant differences were observed in the MFI, PPV, CF, HSI, IPF, VSI, or SR among the groups (p > 0.05). Regarding the proximate compositions of the dorsal muscle and whole body, no substantial differences were observed across the groups (p > 0.05). Additionally, there were no significant variations in digestive enzyme activity (p > 0.05), serum immune, or biochemical parameters in the midgut and hindgut among the treatment groups. But in the serum immune response IgM, C3 and C4 were significantly higher in the GML3 group as compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). However, the GML3 group exhibited significantly greater fore-intestinal villus height, crypt depth, villus height per crypt depth, and the number of goblet cells per villus compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). Overall, GML supplementation, particularly GML3, significantly improved growth indicators like the final body weight and intestinal morphology. While certain parameters remained unaffected, these findings suggest GML's potential as a beneficial dietary supplement in fish diets.

Dietary Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) Extract Ameliorated the Growth Performance, Humoral Immune Parameters and Resistance Against Aeromonas hydrophila in Goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Abstract This trial investigated the efficacy of artichoke (Cynara scolymus) extract (AE) on the growth performance, immunity, antioxidant parameters, and resistance against Aeromonas hydrophila of goldfish (Carassius auratus). For this purpose, a total number of 470 goldfish with initial weight 5.70±0.2 g were fed with four experimental diets including 0 (T0), 100 (T1), 150 (T2), and 200 (T3) mg kg−1 diet AE for 8 weeks. At the end of feeding trial, growth performances, serum immune parameters, and mucus antioxidant enzymes were measured. Fish were challenged with A. hydrophila, and the antioxidant and immunity-related gene expression were investigated. Based on the results, the highest final weight (FW) and weight gain (WG) were attained in T2 and T3 (P&lt;0.05). Immune factors including ACH50, lysozyme, and total immunoglobulin in T2 and T3 showed the highest values (P&lt;0.05). The expression of GR, IL1 β, TNF α, HSC70, HSP70, and HSP90 β genes in T1, T2, and T3 were higher than the control (P&lt;0.05). The GST expression was significantly enhanced in T2 (P&lt;0.05). The present study demonstrated that the administration of AE, especially at doses of 150 mg kg−1, could improve the growth, immunity, and antioxidant parameters, as well as enhance disease resistance against A. hydrophila in goldfish.

The influence of dietary supplementation with oyster mushroom waste on laying hens’ performance, egg quality and immune parameters

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) waste (OMW) on performance, egg quality, fatty acid (FA) profile and oxidative stability, serum and yolk cholesterol and immune parameters of laying hens. Two hundred fifty-six laying hens were allocated into 4 treatment groups, with eight replicate cages, and were fed for 28 d either a control diet, or diets supplemented with OMW at 1, 2 or 4 g per 100 g feed (P1, P2 and P4 experimental groups, respectively). No significant effects were detected on the performance and egg quality (P > 0.05) except from a modest decrease in the intensity of orange yolk color from hens fed with OMW, as indicated by the reduced DSM YolkFan score and color parameter a* (redness) (P < 0.05), and the tendency for increased color parameter L* (lightness) (P < 0.1). Serum total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein content were decreased in OMW experimental groups compared with the control group (P, P-linear < 0.05) whereas yolk cholesterol content was unaffected (P > 0.05). The ratio of heterophils to lymphocytes were not influenced by dietary treatment (P > 0.05), whereas T helper lymphocyte (Th) percentage was increased in OMW supplemented groups in comparison with control (P < 0.05, P-quadratic < 0.05). The yolk FA profile was beneficially affected, as shown by the linear increase in polyunsaturated FA and a linear decrease in saturated FA in OMW supplemented groups of hens (P-linear < 0.05), with most notable effects observed in the P4 group. Furthermore, oxidative stability, that was expressed as malondialdehyde content, of both fresh and stored egg yolks for up to 90 d, was significantly improved in OMW supplemented groups (P < 0.05). The beneficial effects of OMW on yolk oxidative stability and FA profile, without adverse effects on performance or egg quality, shows that this byproduct may be successfully employed in laying hens' diets, in a circular economy scheme, with benefits not only for the consumers and farmers but for the environment as well.

Vitamin C Alleviates Intestinal Inflammation Caused by Aeromonas hydrophila in Juvenile Blunt Snout Bream (Megalobrama amblycephala)

Vitamin C (VC) can be used to increase disease resistance in practice in intensive aquaculture. But it is still unconfirmed whether VC could alleviate inflammation and what dosage is suitable. This study investigated the effects of dietary VC on the immunity and enteritis of juvenile blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila. The fish were fed with VC levels ranging from 25.35 to 2231.98 mg/kg for 60 days. After that, fish fed with 150.65 mg/kg, 573.79 mg/kg, and 2231.98 mg/kg VC were challenged with A. hydrophila orally to simulate enteritis. The results showed that 285.39 and 573.79 mg/kg dietary VC significant improved growth performance and feed utilization. Dietary VC (573.79 and 1133.79 mg/kg) significantly enhanced the serum immune parameters, antioxidant enzymes’ activities, and relative gene expressions of ikbα and cat in the liver in the 60-day feeding trail. The survival rate was significantly higher in 573.79 mg/kg dietary VC group than the other two treatments. Cytokines were activated after the bacteria challenge. Dietary 573.79 mg/kg VC caused significantly higher TNF-α level at 12 hpi and maintained a high level of IL-8 at 48 to 72 h compared to other treatments. In conclusion, more than 500 mg/kg VC was needed to maintain the health of blunt snout bream juveniles. Suitable VC would activate cytokines to increase disease resistance along with antioxidant enzymes.

Can Serum Chitotriosidase Levels, Immune, and Oxidative Stress Parameters Be Early Diagnostic Indicators in Patients With Silicosis?

We aimed to evaluate the enzyme activity of chitotriosidase as a biomarker in early diagnosis silicosis and to investigate immune system response and oxidative stress caused by silica exposure. Silicosis patients (n = 116), exposed to silica without disease (n = 76), and healthy individuals (n = 55) were included. Serum levels of chitotriosidase, proinflammatory cytokines, oxidant-antioxidant, and immune parameters were measured. Serum chitotriosidase enzyme levels in the silicosis group were statistically significantly higher than the exposure and control groups. Inflammatory biomarkers and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine levels were found to be statistically significantly higher in the silicosis and exposure group compared with the controls, while superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were lower. Increased serum chitotriosidase level emerged as a biomarker that can not only distinguish silicosis from exposure and healthy controls but also indicate early pulmonary effects of silica.

Positive Correlation of Body Length with Innate Immune Status and Resistance to &lt;i&gt;Aeromonas hydrophila&lt;/i&gt; Infection In Rohu, &lt;i&gt;Labeo rohita&lt;/i&gt;

Full-sib families of rohu (Labeo rohita) of four year-classes viz., 2003 (906 numbers of fish), 2004 (1208 nos.), 2008 (2000 nos.) and 2009 (1355 nos.) were subjected to intraperitoneal Aeromonas hydrophila challenge. The fingerlings were tagged individually with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag and total length was measured prior to challenge. The mortality was recorded on an hourly basis for up to 24 h and later over a period of 10 days post-challenge. Mean body length of survived and dead fish were significantly different (p&lt;0.05) in the year-classes 2004, 2008 and 2009, whereas for 2003 there was no marked difference. Positive correlations of 0.004, 0.115 and 0.108 were found between length and survival for 2004, 2008 and 2009 year-classes, respectively. However, the length of 2003 year-class showed a negligible negative correlation (-0.065) with survival. The serum immune parameters viz., haemolysin titre, ceruloplasmin and myeloperoxidase activities analyzed from naïve individuals of each family showed positive correlations with body length of the same family (0.135, 0.290 and 0.109, respectively) in three year-classes i.e., 2003, 2004 and 2009. The positive correlation of length with survival and immune response indicated its possibility to be used as a co-trait for selection for improved resistance to A. hydrophila infection.

Serum-based parameters as distinctive predictive biomarkers in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing curative radiation therapy.

48 Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether serum immune and inflammatory parameters can help to predict the clinical outcomes in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing curative radiation therapy (RT). Methods: A total of 76 RT courses among 71 patients between January 2014 and April 2019 were analyzed. The following variables were included in the analysis: systemic inflammation index, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), absolute lymphocyte count, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), albumin, albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio, RT-related parameters, and levels of total protein, hemoglobin, α- fetoprotein, PIVKA-II, and C-reactive protein. Overall survival (OS), local control (LC), distant control (DC), and intrahepatic control (IHC) rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and graphs were compared using the log-rank test. The multivariate Cox model was used to identify independent prognostic factors. The optimal cutoff values for survival separation were decided using the maximal chi-square test. Results: The mean age was 61.4 years, and most patients were men (n = 62, 81.6%). Most of the study population underwent pre-RT TACE/HAIC (n = 74, 97.4%). The median RT fraction number, fractional doses, and biologically equivalent doses by α/β=10 were 12 (range, 4–30), 5 (range, 2–12) Gy and 72.6 (range, 51.5–119) Gy, respectively. With a median follow-up of 12 (range, 3.1–56.7) months, the 1-year OS, LC, DC, and IHC rates were 55.2%, 88.2%, 64.4%, and 50.5%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, significant independent prognostic indicators were the lowest posttreatment PNI for OS ( P &lt; 0.001), lowest pretreatment LMR for LC ( P = 0.03), and highest posttreatment PLR for DC ( P = 0.006). Conclusions: Distinct serum-based parameters predicted OS, LC, and DC rates. Future research is necessary to confirm our findings.

Long-Term Application of a Synbiotic Chitosan and Acinetobacter KU011TH Mixture on the Growth Performance, Health Status, and Disease Resistance of Hybrid Catfish (Clarias gariepinus × C. macrocephalus) during Winter.

The effects of potential synbiotic chitosan and Acinetobacter KU011TH mixture on growth performance, immune response, and A. hydrophila resistance were investigated for the first time. The control group was fed a basal diet (A), and group B was given the formula B diet that was supplemented with chitosan at 20 mL/kg diet via top dressing. The other synbiotic groups, C, D, and E, were top-dressed with the target probiotics at 1 × 108, 1 × 109, and 1 × 1010 CFU/kg diet, respectively, and coated with the same concentration of chitosan. Fish were continuously fed the five different feeds for 16 weeks during winter. At the end of the trial, the growth parameters of the test groups did not significantly differ from those of the control (p > 0.05). All the symbiotic-chitosan treatments significantly increased various hematological and serum immune parameters. Moreover, the expression levels of immune-related genes were strongly elevated in the head kidney and spleen, whereas upregulated expression was observed in the liver and whole blood (p < 0.05). Survival analysis indicated that fish in groups B and C showed significantly higher survival (84.33 ± 2.21 and 79.50 ± 6.34%) than those in groups A, D and E (55.33 ± 8.82%-74.00 ± 6.50) (p < 0.05) after injection with A. hydrophila for 14 days.

Effects of dietary Lactobacillus helveticus ATC 15009 on growth performance, hematology parameters, innate immune responses, and the antioxidant status of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) under high rearing density

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary probiotic supplementation of Lactobacillus helveticus on growth, digestive enzymes, and hematological, biochemical, immune, and antioxidant parameters, as well as intestinal microbiota of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Fish (35.46±0.9 g) were fed with different levels of dietary L. helveticus: control, 1 × 106, 1 × 107, 1 × 108, and 1 × 109 at high stocking density (80 kg m−3) for 60 days. Results indicated that growth performance significantly improved in probiotic supplemented fish (P&lt;0.05). Digestive enzyme parameters revealed that supplementation could significantly increase amylase, protease, and lipase (P&lt;0.05). The treated groups showed significant improvements in serum immune parameters including lysozyme (LYZ), alternative complement (ACH50), respiratory burst activity (RBA), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) (P&lt;0.05). Total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), and globulin (GLO) increased in fish fed experimental diets (P&lt;0.05). Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was significantly lower in fish fed dietary additives (P&lt;0.05) while white blood cells (WBC), lymphocytes, neutrophils, hematocrit (Hct), red blood cells (RBC) were significantly enhanced (P&lt;0.05). Fish fed with supplemented diets showed significantly enhanced antioxidant status, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Malondialdehyde (MDA) content was significantly lower in fish fed dietary additives (P&lt;0.05). Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in the treatment groups were significantly increased (P&lt;0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of L. helveticus reduced detrimental effects of high stocking density on growth performance and immune response. It appears that L. helveticus can be recommended as a beneficial probiotic feed additive for rainbow trout.

Grape Seed Extract as a Feed Additive Improves the Growth Performance, Ruminal Fermentation and Immunity of Weaned Beef Calves.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate effects of grape seed extract (Gse) supplementation on the growth performance; ruminal fermentation; nutrient digestibility; and serum biochemical, antioxidative, and immune parameters of weaned beef calves. A total of 30 Simmental crossbred male calves with similar age and body weight were randomly allocated to two groups: a control group with no Gse (CON) and a Gse supplementation group (GSE) (4 g/d Gse per animal). The results show that, compared with the CON group, the average daily gain significantly increased (p = 0.043) in the GSE group. The ruminal contents of microbial protein and butyrate in GSE group were higher (p < 0.05) than those in the CON group. Additionally, calves fed Gse displayed increased (p < 0.05) dry matter and neutral detergent fiber digestibility. Moreover, the serum concentrations of triglyceride, catalase, superoxide dismutase, immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M were higher (p < 0.05) in the GSE group than those in the CON group. However, opposite tendencies of non-esterified fatty acid, malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 were found between the two groups. Overall, the supplementation of Gse can improve ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility, antioxidant ability, and immunity, as well as promoting the healthy growth of weaned cross-breed beef calves.

Association between Posttreatment Serum Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Distant Metastases in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Receiving Curative Radiation Therapy.

We sought to investigate whether serum immune and inflammatory parameters can help to predict distant metastasis (DM) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing curative radiation therapy (RT). A total of 76 RT courses were analyzed. The following variables were included in the analysis: systemic inflammation index, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), absolute lymphocyte count, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, albumin, albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio, RT-related parameters, and levels of total protein, hemoglobin, α-fetoprotein, and PIVKA-II. Distant control (DC) and overall survival (OS) rates were calculated and compared. The mean age was 61.4 years, and most patients were men (n = 62, 81.6%). The median RT fraction number and fractional doses were 12 (range, 4-30) and 5 (range, 2-12) Gy, respectively. With a median follow-up of 12 (range, 3.1-56.7) months, the 1-year DC and OS rates were 64.4% and 55.2%, respectively. The development of DM significantly deteriorated OS (p = 0.013). In the multivariate analysis, significant independent prognostic indicators for DC and OS rates were the highest posttreatment PLR (≤235.7 vs. >235.7, p = 0.006) and the lowest posttreatment PNI (≤25.4 vs. >25.4, p < 0.001), respectively. Posttreatment serum PLR might be helpfully used as a predictive biomarker of DM in unresectable HCC patients undergoing RT. Future research is necessary to confirm our findings.

The effects of combined or singular administration of formic acid and Pediococcus acidilactici on stress resistance, growth performance, immune responses and related genes expression in common carp, Cyprinus carpio

In the current study, the effects of dietary formic acid and probiotic supplementation in growth, serum immune parameters, salinity tolerance, and gene expression of common carp, Cyprinus carpio were studied. 360 healthy common carp with average weight of (5.54 ± 1.08 g) were randomly stocked into 12 fiberglass tanks with 300 L capacity having 30 individuals in each tank. The fish were fed for 56 days with four experimental diets i.e., Control (Formic acid 0 + Pediococcus acidilactici 0), FA (Formic acid 0.3% + Probiotic 0), Pro (Formic acid 0 + P. acidilactici 0.1%), and FA+Pro (Formic acid 0.3% + P. acidilactici 0.1%). Growth performance, serum immune parameters, and gene expression of the experimental fish were examined at the completion of the feeding study. Fish fed the combination of formic acid and probiotic (FA+Pro) caused significantly (P < 0.05) higher weight gain and lower feed conversion ratio compared to the control and the experimental diets. Specific growth rate didn’t show significant differences among experimental diets (P > 0.05). Fish administered formic acid and probiotics (FA+Pro) also had significantly higher serum immune parameters (total protein, globulin, and lysozyme) than the control (P < 0.05). Moreover, the relative expression of GH, IGF1, Lyz, and IL-1 genes increased significantly (P < 0.05) with combined supplementation when compared to fish fed just formic acid or probiotics and the control. During 7 days of exposure to saline conditions, fish fed with a combination of formic acid and/or probiotic showed a significantly higher survival rate (P < 0.05). It can be concluded that combined administration of P. acidilactici as probiotic with an organic acid (FA) exert much more beneficial effects rather than singular administration. Therefore, it can be considered as promising feed additive for carp culture.

The role of dietary chia seed powder in modulating cold stress-related impacts in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus

Two months feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the role of chia seed powder (CSP) enriched diets in improving Oreochromis niloticus tolerance to cold thermal stress. A total of 200 Nile tilapia fish were divided into 5 experimental groups with 4 replicates (10 fish/ replicate). Experimental groups were fed on the basal diet (BD) supplemented with CSP at levels 0.0, 1.5, 3, 4.5 and 6 g/ kg diet and reared at 16–19 °C temperature range. Fish growth performance (final weight, total gain, and specific growth rate) was linearly increased with increasing dietary CSP supplementation (linear, P < 0.0001) along with improved FCR compared to the control. The highest survival rate was recorded in tilapia which received 6 g chia /kg diet. Dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) % of fish whole body were increased (linear response, P = 0.009, P < 0.0001, respectively), while ash and crude lipids % were reduced in CSP-supplemented tilapia (linear, P = 0.0008, P = 0.0186, respectively). A linear increase in red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs) counts and hemoglobin (P < 0.0001) of fish was also achieved with increasing chia level. The serum lipid profile parameters, glucose and cortisol levels in Nile tilapia fish under cold stress tended to decrease in response to increasing chia powder level (linear, P < 0.0001). Serum antioxidants (total antioxidant capacity-TAOC, reduced glutathione-GSH and catalase-CAT) and immune response parameters concentrations (IgM, IgG and lysozymes) were significantly improved with supplemental CSP added in diet reared under cold stress. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of chia seed powder (optimum level 4.5 and 6 g/ kg diet) in Nile tilapia raised under lower temperature (16–19 °C) showed a stress relieving effects through increasing their survival rate, enhanced growth performance, antioxidants, immunological responses and reducing the stress related indicators as cortisol.

Effects of Dietary Blend of Algae Extract Supplementation on Growth, Biochemical, Haemato-Immunological Response, and Immune Gene Expression in Labeo rohita with Aeromonas hydrophila Post-Challenges

In this study, the effects of a mixed algal blend (Chlorella vulgaris, Euglena viridis, and Spirulina platensis) at different levels were evaluated on growth, hematological immune responses, and expression of immune genes in Labeo rohita against post-challenges of Aeromonas hydrophila. Fish samples were fed a diet containing different levels of mixed blend algal (0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.04 and 0.08% of basal diet). At the end of the feeding period, the fish were challenged with A. hydrophila and fish mortality was recorded over a 14-days period. To evaluate the serum biochemical (albumin, globulin), hematological parameters (Hb, RBC and WBC) and immune parameters (neutrophil activity, lysozyme activity, myeloperoxidase activity, antiprotease activity, ceruloplasmin activity, and bactericidal activity), as well as the expression of immune genes (NKEF-B, Lysozyme C and G, TNF α, TLR22, β2M, and β-actin), fish were sampled on Day 7, 14, 21 and 28. Fish were challenged with virulent A. hydrophila 30 days post-feeding and mortalities were recorded over 30 days post-infection. Results demonstrate that fish fed with a mixed algal blend showed that total body weight gain, specific growth rate, total serum protein, globulin, total hemoglobin content, white blood cells, neutrophil, lysozyme, bactericidal, myeloperoxidase, and antiprotease activity in dietary algae blended application was higher than in the control (p &lt; 0.05). According to the results, relative expression of target genes showed significant increases of 0.02 to 0.04% in the treatment group compared to the control group (p &lt; 0.05). At the end of the 30-day exposure to A. hydrophila, the fish that received the mixed algal blend had a significantly higher rate of survival than the control group, with the highest survival rate recorded in the 0.02% mixed algal blend (p &lt; 0.05). According to the effective results of the mixed algal blend on stimulating the immune system and increasing fish resistance to A. hydrophila, it is recommended to use 0.02 to 0.04% of this mixed algal blend in rohu, L. rohita diets.

Brown Seaweed (Padina australis) Extract can Promote Performance, Innate Immune Responses, Digestive Enzyme Activities, Intestinal Gene Expression and Resistance against Aeromonas hydrophila in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio).

Eight-week oral administration of Padina australis ethyl acetate extract at 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg diets was assessed on the growth performance, tight junction proteins, intestinal immunity, and disease resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila in common carp (Cyprinus carpio). A total of 300 healthy common carp weighing around 14.8 ± 0.03 g were randomly assigned into four equal groups within 12 glass aquariums, each in three replicates (25 fish/tank), for the feeding trial experiment. The first group served as the control group and was fed an un-supplemented diet, whilst the other three groups were offered diets containing graded amounts of Padina australis ethyl acetate extract at 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, respectively. The growth indices, including final weight, length, weight gain rate, specific growth rate, and feed conversion ratio, were meaningfully improved in fish fed with the algae at 200 and 400 mg/kg compared to the control fish (p &lt; 0.05). Similarly, digestive enzyme activities and serum immune parameters were significantly higher in all treatments, especially 200 and 400 mg/kg fed groups, compared to the control (p &lt; 0.05). In parallel, significant upregulation of genes related to integrity and the immune system was shown in the intestine of these treatment groups compared to control fish (p &lt; 0.05). When fish were challenged with A. hydrophila, the cumulative survival percentages were 53.3% (p = 0.215), 70.0 % (p = 0.009), and 76.7% (p = 0.002) in fish fed 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg diets, respectively, compared to 36.7% survival in control fish (p = 0.134). These data show that the eight-week dietary administration of P. australis extract to common carp can enhance growth performance, digestive enzyme activity, immune response, and disease resistance to A. hydrophila infection.

Effects of cysteine addition to low-fishmeal diets on the growth, anti-oxidative stress, intestine immunity, and Streptococcus agalactiae resistance in juvenile golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus).

As the precursor of taurine, cysteine serves physiological functions, such as anti-oxidative stress and immune improvement. Investigation of cysteine and its derivatives has made positive progress in avian and mammalian species, yet the study and application of cysteine in aquatic animals are relatively rare. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of supplementing a low-fishmeal diet with various levels of cysteine on the growth, antioxidant capacity, intestine immunity, and resistance against Streptococcus agalactiae of the juvenile golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus). According to our study, exogenous supplementation with 0.6-1.2% cysteine greatly increased the final body weight (FBW) and specific growth rate (SGR) of golden pompano compared to the control group. Under the present conditions, the optimum dietary cysteine supplementation level for golden pompano was 0.91% based on the polynomial regression analysis of SGR. Meanwhile, we found that the Nrf2/Keap1/HO-1 signaling pathway was notably upregulated with the increase of exogenous cysteine, which increased antioxidant enzyme activity in serum and gene expression in the intestine and reduced the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the serum of golden pompano. In addition, morphological analysis of the midgut demonstrated that exogenous cysteine improved muscle thickness and villi length, which suggested that the physical barrier of the intestine was greatly strengthened by cysteine. Moreover, cysteine increased the diversity and relative abundance of the intestinal flora of golden pompano. Cysteine suppressed intestinal NF-κB/IKK/IκB signaling and pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA levels. Conversely, intestinal anti-inflammatory cytokine gene expression and serum immune parameters were upregulated with the supplementary volume of cysteine and improved intestine immunity. Further, exogenous cysteine supplementation greatly reduced the mortality rate of golden pompano challenged with S. agalactiae. In general, our findings provide more valuable information and new insights into the rational use of cysteine in the culture of healthy aquatic animals.

Taurine improves health of juvenile rice field eel (Monopterus albus) fed with oxidized fish oil: Involvement of lipid metabolism, antioxidant capacity, inflammatory response

An 8-weeks feeding experiment was performed to evaluate the potential effect of dietary taurine on the growth, liver oxidative stress and lipid metabolism, intestinal integrity and inflammatory response as well as the skin pigments of Monopterus albus fed with the oxidized fish oil diet. With that purpose, four iso-nitrogenous and iso-lipid experimental diets were formulated, including FO (2% fresh fish oil), OO (2% oxidized fish oil completely replacing the fresh fish oil in FO group) supplemented with 0%, 0.2% (OOT0.2) and 0.5% (OOT0.5) taurine. Each diet was randomly fed to triplicate groups of 50 fish (average initial weight 30.09 ± 0.06 g). The results showed that long-term feeding of OO diet did not affect the growth performance, while decreased the contents of serum immune parameters, lowered the liver antioxidative enzymes activities and induced oxidative stress, caused abnormal fat deposition in liver by interfering lipid metabolism-related genes mRNA express profile, simultaneously accompanied by hepatocyte atrophy, destroyed the intestinal mucosal barrier through dysregulation of the mRNA expression of tight junction proteins and raised the inflammatory response by elevating the pro-inflammatory cytokines mRNA abundance, and generated undesirable skin hyperpigmentation via boosting tyrosinase activity. Notably, taurine administration improved the growth performance and partially mitigated the negative impacts in M. albus subjected to the oxidized fish oil. Taken together, it was supposed that taurine exerted its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties to confer protection against oxidized fish oil. These findings would provide a theoretical basis for the application of taurine in aquatic feed.

Co-fermented yellow wine lees by Bacillus subtilis and Enterococcus faecium regulates growth performance and gut microbiota in finishing pigs

Fermented yellow wine lees (FYWL) are widely used to increase feed utilization and improve pig performance. Based on the preparation of co-FYWL using Bacillus subtilis and Enterococcus faecalis, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of co-FYWL on growth performance, gut microbiota, meat quality, and immune status of finishing pigs. 75 pigs were randomized to 3 treatments (5 replicates/treatment), basal diet (Control), a basal diet supplemented with 4%FYWL, and a basal diet supplemented with 8%FYWL, for 50 days each. Results showed that the 8% FYWL group significantly reduced the F/G and increased the average daily weight gain of pigs compared to the control group. In addition, 8% FYWL improved the richness of Lactobacillus and B. subtilis in the gut, which correlated with growth performance, serum immune parameters, and meat quality. Furthermore, acetate and butyrate in the feces were improved in the FYWL group. Simultaneously, FYWL improved the volatile flavor substances of meat, increased the content of flavor amino acids, and played a positive role in the palatability of meat. In addition, FYWL increased serum IgA, IgM, IL-4 and IL-10 levels. Overall, the growth performance, the gut microbiota associated with fiber degradation, meat quality, and immune status were improved in the 8% FYWL group.

Effects of formic acid and glycerol monolaurate on weanling pig growth performance, fecal consistency, fecal microbiota, and serum immunity.

A total of 350 weanling pigs (DNA 400 × 200; initially, 5.67 ± 0.06 kg BW) were used in a 42-day study with 5 pigs per pen and 14 replicate pens per treatment. At weaning, pigs were allotted to pens in a completely randomized design and pens of pigs were randomly assigned to one of five dietary treatments: 1) negative control (CON; standard nursery diet containing only 150 ppm Zn from trace mineral premix and no acidifier); 2) control diet with 3,000 ppm added zinc from ZnO included in phase 1 and 2,000 ppm added zinc from ZnO included in phase 2 (ZnO); 3) control diet with 0.70% formic acid (FA; Amasil NA; BASF, Florham, NJ); 4) control diet with 0.18% glycerol monolaurate (GML; Natural Biologics GML, Natural Biologics, Newfield, NY); and 5) control diet with a 1.0% blend of formic acid and glycerol monolaurate (FORMI; FORMI 3G, ADDCON GmbH, Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany). Pigs were fed treatment diets from d 0 to d 28 and were then fed a common diet from d 28 to d 42. From days 0 to 7, pigs fed ZnO or FORMI had increased (P = 0.03) ADG compared to pigs fed CON, with no difference in feed intake (P > 0.05). Overall, pigs fed GML had reduced (P < 0.0001) ADG compared with those fed the CON, ZnO, or FORMI diets. Fecal DM was evaluated from days 7 to 28 and there was a treatment × day interaction (P = 0.04). Pigs fed GML had a lower fecal DM % on day 7, but a higher fecal DM % on days 14 and 21; however, no differences in fecal DM were observed on day 28. Fresh fecal samples were collected from the same randomly selected pig on days 0 and 14 (70 pigs total;14 pigs per treatment) for analysis of fecal microbial populations using 16S rDNA sequencing. Dietary treatment did not significantly impact fecal microbiota at the phyla level, but pigs fed ZnO had an increased relative abundance (P < 0.01) of the family Clostridiaceae. A blood sample was also collected from one pig per pen on days 0 and 14 for analysis of serum IgA, IgG, and TNF-α. There was no evidence that dietary treatment effected IgA, IgG, or TNF-α concentrations. The effect of sampling day was significant (P < 0.05), where circulating IgA and TNF-α was increased and IgG was decreased from days 0 to 14. In summary, there is potential for a blend of formic acid and GML to improve growth performance immediately post-weaning without negatively impacting fecal consistency. Formic acid and GML alone or in combination did not impact fecal microbial populations or serum immune parameters.

Evaluation of Soil-Derived Streptomyces chartreusis KU324443 Effects as Probiotic on Growth Performance, Antioxidant Enzyme Activity, Mucosal and Serum Immune Parameters, and Related Gene Expression in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) Fingerlings

The present trial investigates the effects of soil-derived Streptomyces chartreusis KU324443 as a probiotic on growth performance, mucosal and serum immune parameters, and immune and antioxidant-associated gene expression in common carp (Cyprinus carpio). In a two-month experiment, carps were fed with varying levels of S. chartreusis KU324443 (0 (control), 105 (S1), 106 (S2), and 107 (S3) CFU/g). Then, performance, skin mucus, and serum immune parameters besides immune and antioxidant-related gene expression (IL1 and Lyz, CAT and SOD) were measured. Fish fed S. chartreusis-supplemented diet showed a significant increase in growth performance parameters ( P &lt; 0.05 ) regardless of inclusion levels. Including different doses of S. chartreusis significantly increased serum total Ig and lysozyme activity compared to those fed the control diet ( P &lt; 0.05 ). While no significant difference was noticed in the case of skin mucus total Ig ( P &gt; 0.05 ), lysozyme activity showed a significant increase in S. chartreusis-treated carps ( P &lt; 0.05 ). No significant differences ( P &gt; 0.05 ) were noticed in the case of serum antioxidant enzyme activity (CAT, SOD, and GPx) of S. chartreusis-fed carps and control. However, fish fed the control diet recorded the highest SOD and GPx enzyme activity in skin mucus of common carp, while no significant differences were noticed in the case of mucus CAT enzyme activity in common carp ( P &gt; 0.05 ). Gene expression studies revealed noticeable alterations between treated fish and control. Fish in S3 treatment had significantly higher CAT, SOD, Lyz, and IL1 expression ( P &lt; 0.05 ). These results confirmed the beneficial effects of a soil-derived probiotic (S. chartreusis) on the performance and health of common carp.