Elsevier

Aquaculture

Volume 528, 15 November 2020, 735509
Aquaculture

Diets containing purified nucleotides reduce oxidative stress, interfere with reproduction, and promote growth in Nile tilapia females

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2020.735509Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Rations with purified nucleotides modulates health and vigor of Nile tilapia female.

  • Purified nucleotides has an effect on females' energy metabolism and reproduction.

  • Purified nucleotides promote significant changes in the indicators of redox balance.

  • Dietary levels of 5.0 to 7.5 g kg−1 determine better growth and reproduction rates.

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to assess the health, growth, and reproductive performance of Nile tilapia females fed diets containing purified nucleotides (NT). A total of 420 females (286 ± 7.15 g) and 140 males (536 ± 13.4 g) were used. Fishes were fed with extruded rations (280 g of digestible protein kg−1; 11.72 MJ of digestible energy kg−1) containing 0.0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 g NT kg−1 for 150 days. After mating occurred in hapas, the eggs were harvested and incubated. At the end of the experiment, blood and tissue samples were collected for hematological, biochemical, morphological, and centesimal composition analyses. In addition, indicators of immune system function and redox balance were analyzed. The production of eggs g−1 by spawning females was significantly the highest at 7.5 g NT kg−1. The percentage of spawning females was significantly low in the 7.5 g and 10.0 g NT kg−1 groups, reflecting on fecundity. However, these females showed significantly the highest growth rates. Diets containing 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 g NT kg−1 significantly increased hemoglobin levels. Plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) significantly decreased in fish fed diets containing between 2.5 and 7.5 g NT kg−1, whereas alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and plasma triglyceride levels significantly decreased with 7.5 g NT kg−1. Levels of NT higher than 5.0 g NT kg−1 led to a significantly increase of albumin and significantly reduced plasma calcium levels. Liver glycogen levels significantly increased with 5.0 g NT kg−1. The activities of liver superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) were significantly the highest in the 5.0 g NT kg−1 and 7.5 g NT kg−1 groups, respectively. The highest glycogen content in the ovaries was significantly observed with 7.5 g NT kg−1. Lipid peroxidation (LPO) in the ovaries was significantly lower with 2.5, 7.5, and 10.0 g NT kg−1, and the highest catalase activity was significantly observed with 2.5 and 7.5 g NT kg−1. Lysozyme activity in the spleen and kidney and levels of nitrite/nitrate in the kidney were not significantly altered. Only the levels of spleen nitrite/nitrate significantly decreased at 10.0 g NT kg−1. Rations containing more than 5.0 g NT kg−1 significantly increased the percentage of secondary growth oocytes, and liver and intestinal morphology was not significantly altered. Diets containing 5.0 g NT kg−1 significantly increased crude protein content in the ovaries. Supplementation with purified nucleotides, using rations containing between 5.0 and 7.5 g NT kg−1, affected energy metabolism, redox balance, and liver and gonadal status in tilapia females, thereby improving their health and, consequently, their reproduction and growth rates.

Introduction

Aquaculture is fast expanding worldwide and its current growth rates are higher than those of other farming activities (FAO, 2018). In this context, tilapia is the second most farmed group of fish in the world and tilapia farming has increased 11% annually in the last three decades, reaching 5.9 million tons in 2017 (Barroso et al., 2019). Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is the most important species of this group (FAO, 2018) and is farmed in at least 78 countries, with 4.13 million tons produced in 2017 (Cai et al., 2019).

With the accelerated growth of this activity, the intensification of production systems has been adopted as a strategy to ensure productivity meets the demands of the market (Barroso et al., 2018). However, in some countries the production chain has not developed at the same speed that the tilapia culture has increased, and the availability of high-quality, vigorous and resistant fry has become a limiting factor in the production of tilapia (Schulter and Vieira Filho, 2017; Barroso et al., 2018; FAO, 2018).

Thus, the strategies of feeding and the nutritional management of female and male breeders (Bhujel et al., 2007; Bombardelli et al., 2017) may be alternatives that contribute to improving the quality of eggs, larvae, and fry (Izquierdo et al., 2001; Migaud et al., 2013). Nutrition is especially important in females because dietary nutrients are recruited for vitellogenesis (Mommsen and Korsgaad, 2008; Fernández-Palacios et al., 2011) and influence gonadal maturation and yolk quality (Bobe and Labbé, 2010; Hilbig et al., 2019). This determines the vigor and quality of the offspring (Bombardelli et al., 2009; Ng and Wang, 2011), because the embryos and larvae in the initial stage of development depend solely on the yolk for feeding (Mazorra et al., 2003; Fernández-Palacios et al., 2011). Moreover, nutrition modulates the health and vigor of females and determines their ability to tolerate the metabolic stress imposed by the intense reproduction process and rearing characteristics of tilapia (Lupatsch et al., 2010).

Dietary supplementation with purified nucleotides (NT) may be a good approach for improving the health and vigor of Nile tilapia broodstock. These molecules are components of nucleic acids, DNA and RNA (Hess and Greenberg, 2012), and are involved in the coding/decoding of genetic information, as well as in processes of cell growth and repair, and the regulation of several metabolic pathways (Cosgrove, 1998; Hess and Greenberg, 2012). Even if an organism is able to synthesize the nucleotides via the de novo pathway or via cell turnover (Li and Gatlin III, 2006), under highly challenging conditions that cause cellular or metabolic stress, external supplementation may be necessary (Hess and Greenberg, 2012).

Research in this area has been conducted with fish in the growth phase and for short periods of time (Cheng et al., 2011; Kenari et al., 2013; Peng et al., 2013; Barros et al., 2015; Shiau et al., 2015; Xu et al., 2015). Data on dietary supplementation with NT in fish broodstock and its effects on the quality of the offspring are scarce. Only one preliminary study conducted by González Vecino (2005) suggested that dietary supplementation with NT improves fecundity, egg quality, and larval survival in haddock broodstock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus L.).

Thus, the objective of the present study was to assess the health, growth, and reproductive performance of Nile tilapia (O. niloticus) females fed diets containing purified NT. The effects on hematological, biochemical, and morphological parameters would be assessed, in addition to indicators of immune system function and redox balance.

Section snippets

Animals, facilities, and experimental design

The study was conducted using the procedures approved by the ethics committee on the use of animals of the West Paraná State University (CEUA/Unioeste), according to protocol no. 2112/2016. A total of 420 females (average weight of 286 ± 7.15 g) and 140 males (average weight of 536 ± 13.4 g) of Nile tilapia (GIFT strain) were used. The females were conditioned in 20 hapas (2 m × 3 m; 1 mm mesh net), resulting in 21 females per hapa. The males were conditioned in others 20 hapas (1 m × 2 m; 2 mm

Reproduction and growth

Along the entire experimental period females and males mated eight times. The fecundity of spawning females (eggs g−1 of spawning female) was significantly higher (p < .05) among those fed diets containing 7.5 g NT kg−1 (Table 2). On the other hand, the percentage of spawning females significantly decreased (p < .05) among the females given rations containing 7.5 g and 10.0 g NT kg−1 (Table 2). Consequently, the relative eggs production (eggs g−1 of mated female) of all individuals in the mated

Discussion

Feeding Nile tilapia females with diets containing NT had an effect on reproduction and energy metabolism, and improved the body function and the health of the female breeders. Nucleotide supplementation to fish diets (Burrells et al., 2001; Tahmasebi-Kohyani et al., 2011; Hossain et al., 2016; Guo et al., 2017; Samir et al., 2017) and shrimp diets (Li et al., 2007b; Arshadi et al., 2018) has been shown as an important strategy to improve animal health and growth. However, some studies have

Conclusions

Dietary supplementation with purified nucleotides interfered with energy metabolism, redox balance, and liver and gonadal function in breeding Nile tilapia females. This translated into improvements in their health and, consequently, reproductive and growth rates of females fed diets containing between 5.0 and 7.5 g NT kg−1.

Declaration of Competing Interests

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgements

We thank NutriQuest-Technofeed for donating the Ascogen®, Piscicultura Sgarbi, and specifically thank Ari Sgarbi and Ariane Sgarbi for donating the tilapia broodstock used in the experiments. We also thank the national Scientific and Technological Development Council (CNPq) for financially supporting the study through grants CNPq no. 311658/2016–4 and no. 429239/2016–5.

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