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Animals
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Research Progress in Growth, Health and Metabolism of Fishes
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Research Progress in Growth, Health and Metabolism of Fishes

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Aquatic Animals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 5547

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Rafael Lazzari

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
Interests: nutrition; additives; fish farming; production systens; food quality; feed management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The production of marine and freshwater fish has been growing worldwide. The different production systems that are used have specific characteristics and require different management. Important aspects of nutrition affect the growth, metabolism, and health of fish at different stages of life, for example, diet quality, water conditions, additives, nutrients, and feed management. Furthermore, several alternative ingredients are being tested in fish diets aiming for greater sustainability and lower costs.

This Special Issue will collect original research findings and reviews on nutritional, environmental, and management aspects that affect the growth, metabolism, and health conditions of farmed fish. Work involving genomics, food quality and additives, micronutrients, as well as the impact of production systems are welcome.

Dr. Rafael Lazzari
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nutrition
  • additives
  • fish farming
  • production systems
  • food quality
  • feed management

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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15 pages, 2093 KiB  
Article
Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Impact of a High-Fat Diet on Hepatic Metabolic Function in Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
by Rui Jia, Yiran Hou, Linjun Zhou, Liqiang Zhang, Bing Li and Jian Zhu
Animals 2024, 14(22), 3204; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14223204 - 8 Nov 2024
Viewed by 339
Abstract
Hepatic steatosis is prevalent among cultured fish, yet the molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to assess changes in hepatic metabolic function in tilapia and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms through transcriptomic analyses. Tilapia were allocated into two groups: a [...] Read more.
Hepatic steatosis is prevalent among cultured fish, yet the molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to assess changes in hepatic metabolic function in tilapia and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms through transcriptomic analyses. Tilapia were allocated into two groups: a normal control (Ctr)-fed group and a high-fat diet (HFD)-fed group. Serum biochemical analyses revealed that HFD feeding led to liver damage and lipid accumulation, characterized by elevated levels of glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT), glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), triglycerides (TGs), and total cholesterol (TC). Transcriptome analysis showed that 538 genes were significantly downregulated, and 460 genes were significantly upregulated in the HFD-fed fish. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis showed that these differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were apparently involved in the lipid metabolic process and monocarboxylic acid metabolic process. Meanwhile, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis indicated significant alterations in pathways of steroid biosynthesis, porphyrin metabolism, terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, and retinol metabolism after HFD feeding. Additionally, results from Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) revealed that gene expression patterns in pathways including oxidative phosphorylation, protein export, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, and ribosome biogenesis were positively enriched in the HFD-fed tilapia. These findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying HFD-induced hepatic dysfunction in fish, contributing to the optimization of feeding strategies in aquaculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Growth, Health and Metabolism of Fishes)
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14 pages, 2830 KiB  
Article
Influence of 17α-Methyltestosterone on Morphological Deformities and Pigmentation Development in Juvenile Japanese Eels, Anguilla japonica
by Ju-Ae Hwang, Jun Seong Park, Hae Seung Jeong and Seong Don Hwang
Animals 2024, 14(18), 2684; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14182684 - 15 Sep 2024
Viewed by 848
Abstract
17α-methyltestosterone (MT) is a synthetic steroid used to induce masculinization when administered during the larval stage of fish. However, the side effects of MT on eel are still poorly understood and, in this study, we examined the various effects of MT [...] Read more.
17α-methyltestosterone (MT) is a synthetic steroid used to induce masculinization when administered during the larval stage of fish. However, the side effects of MT on eel are still poorly understood and, in this study, we examined the various effects of MT on juvenile eel A. japonica (100.63 ± 8.56 mm total length (TL)). To further investigate growth and sex differentiation, juvenile eels (n = 1000) were exposed to 25 µg/g MT for 6 months. We analyzed growth-related factors, sex steroid hormones, skin pigmentation, and color-related gene expression. Through this study, we found a 90% sex conversion of juvenile eels to males using MT treatment. In the MT-treated eel group (285.97 ± 26.21 mm TL) where sexual maturity was induced, spermatogonia stages were observed in the gonads. In contrast, the control group (395.97 ± 27.72 mm TL) exhibited an 80% immaturity rate, with only 20% of the subjects that were rapidly developing displaying early oogonia. ELISA analysis results showed that the level of growth hormone, which is known to be secreted from spermatogonia, did not change as a result of MT treatment. We confirmed that MT delayed growth and caused morphological changes, particularly a shortened snout length and pigmentation of the fin. The total length, body weight, and snout length were considerably lower in the experimental group than in the control group. In addition, in histological analysis we also observed that some of the MT-treated group (5 out of 10 fish) showed liver atrophy and inflammation, and physiological analysis showed that the cortisol concentration increased in the MT-treated eels. Interestingly, we found that some pigment color-related genes, such as melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R), tyrosinase (Tyr), and dopachrome tautomerase (DCT), were significantly overexpressed in the fins of MT-treated eels. These results suggest that the treatment of A. japonica larvae with MT induced masculinization but also causes growth side effects from the use of synthetic hormones. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Growth, Health and Metabolism of Fishes)
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17 pages, 2778 KiB  
Article
Transcriptional Evaluation of Neuropeptides, Hormones, and Tissue Repair Modulators in the Skin of Gilthead Sea Bream (Sparus aurata L.) Subjected to Mechanical Damage
by Rocío Piñera-Moreno, Felipe E. Reyes-López, Merari Goldstein, María Jesús Santillán-Araneda, Bárbara Robles-Planells, Camila Arancibia-Carvallo, Eva Vallejos-Vidal, Alberto Cuesta, María Ángeles Esteban and Lluis Tort
Animals 2024, 14(12), 1815; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14121815 - 18 Jun 2024
Viewed by 816
Abstract
The skin of bony fish is the first physical barrier and is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the fish. Lesions make the skin vulnerable to potential infection by pathogens present in the aquatic environment. In this way, wound repair has barely been [...] Read more.
The skin of bony fish is the first physical barrier and is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the fish. Lesions make the skin vulnerable to potential infection by pathogens present in the aquatic environment. In this way, wound repair has barely been studied in gilthead sea bream. Thus, this study investigated the modulation of peripheral neuro-endocrine and tissue repair markers at the transcriptional level in the skin of teleost fish subjected to mechanical damage above or below the lateral line (dorsal and ventral lesions, respectively). Samples were evaluated using RT-qPCR at 2-, 4-, and 20-days post-injury. Fish with a ventral lesion presented a trend of progressive increase in the expressions of corticotropin-releasing hormone (crh), pro-opiomelanocortin-A (pomca), proenkephalin-B (penkb), cholecystokinin (cck), oxytocin (oxt), angiotensinogen (agt), and (less pronounced) somatostatin-1B (sst1b). By contrast, fish with a dorsal lesion registered no significant increase or biological trend for the genes evaluated at the different sampling times. Collectively, the results show a rapid and more robust response of neuro-endocrine and tissue repair markers in the injuries below than above the lateral line, which could be attributable to their proximity to vital organs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Growth, Health and Metabolism of Fishes)
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13 pages, 2018 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Gut Immune and Oxidative Responses of European Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax): An Ex Vivo Approach
by Filipa Fontinha, Nicole Martins, Gabriel Campos, Helena Peres and Aires Oliva-Teles
Animals 2024, 14(9), 1360; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14091360 - 30 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1385
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the intestinal interactions between three short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), namely, acetate, propionate, and butyrate, and pathogenic bacteria (Vibrio anguillarum) in intestinal explants of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles. The anterior intestine of 12 [...] Read more.
This study aimed to evaluate the intestinal interactions between three short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), namely, acetate, propionate, and butyrate, and pathogenic bacteria (Vibrio anguillarum) in intestinal explants of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles. The anterior intestine of 12 fish with an average weight of 100 g (killed by excess anesthesia with 2-phenoxyethanol) were sampled and placed in 24-well plates. The experimental treatments consisted of a control medium and a control plus 1 mM or 10 mM of sodium acetate (SA), sodium butyrate (SB), and sodium propionate (SP). After 2 h of incubation, the explants were challenged with Vibrio anguillarum at 1 × 107 CFU/mL for 2 h. After the bacterial challenge, and regardless of the SCFA treatment, the oxidative stress-related genus catalase (cat) and superoxide dismutase (sod) were down-regulated and glutathione peroxidase (gpx) was up-regulated. Furthermore, the immune-related genes, i.e., the tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin 8 (IL-8), transforming growth factor (TGF-β), and nuclear factor (NF-Kβ) were also up-regulated, and interleukin 10 (IL-10) was down-regulated. During the pre-challenge, sodium propionate and sodium butyrate seemed to bind the G-protein coupled receptor (grp40L), increasing its expression. During the challenge, citrate synthase (cs) was down-regulated, indicating that the SCFAs were used as an energy source to increase the immune and oxidative responses. Overall, our results suggest that sodium propionate and sodium butyrate may boost European sea bass immune response at the intestine level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Growth, Health and Metabolism of Fishes)
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28 pages, 5477 KiB  
Article
Effects of Five Lipid Sources on Growth, Hematological Parameters, Immunity and Muscle Quality in Juvenile Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
by Rui Song, Xinfeng Yao, Futao Jing, Wenxue Yang, Jiaojiao Wu, Hao Zhang, Penghui Zhang, Yuanyuan Xie, Xuewen Pan, Long Zhao and Chenglong Wu
Animals 2024, 14(5), 781; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14050781 - 1 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1602
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of fish oil (FO), soybean oil (SO), rapeseed oil (RO), peanut oil (PO) and lard oil (LO) on growth, immunity and muscle quality in juvenile largemouth bass. After 8 weeks, the results showed that FO and RO could [...] Read more.
This study investigated the effects of fish oil (FO), soybean oil (SO), rapeseed oil (RO), peanut oil (PO) and lard oil (LO) on growth, immunity and muscle quality in juvenile largemouth bass. After 8 weeks, the results showed that FO and RO could increase weight gain and serum alkaline phosphatase and apelin values compared with LO (p < 0.05). Except lower crude lipid contents, higher amounts of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (15.83% and 14.64%) were present in the dorsal muscle of the FO and RO groups. Meanwhile, FO and RO could heighten mRNA levels of immune defense molecules (lysozyme, hepcidin, and transforming growth factor β1) compared with PO (p < 0.05). While SO could increase potential inflammatory risk via rising counts of white blood cells, platelets, neutrophils and monocytes, and mRNA levels of interleukins (IL-1β, IL-8, IL-12 and IL-15), FO and RO could improve hardness, chewiness and springiness through increasing amounts of hydroxyproline, collagen and lysyl oxidase, and mRNA levels of collagen 1α2 and prolyl hydroxylase in the fish dorsal muscle. Moreover, FO and RO could improve firmness through increasing glycogen and glycogen synthase 1 levels when compared with LO (p < 0.05). Therefore, these results could provide dietary lipid source references during the feeding process of adult largemouth bass. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Growth, Health and Metabolism of Fishes)
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