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- Early transition to microdiets improves growth, reproductive performance and reduces skeletal anomalies in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)Publication . Martins, Gil; Diogo, Patricia; Pinto, Wilson; Gavaia, PauloZebrafish is a model species with a high variability of feeding regimes among fish facilities. The use of live feeds for early life stages is a common practice, and few studies have focused early weaning into microdiets. The lack of standardized feeding protocols among research facilities promotes discrepancies in biological performances, and few studies relate dietary regimes to zebrafish development. The objective of this work was to assess the effect of an early transition into microdiets in zebrafish development by evaluating growth, survival, reproductive performance, and skeletal anomalies. These parameters were assessed in one group exclusively fed on Artemia nauplii and two groups fed on microdiets (commercial and experimental). Results showed that an early weaning with the two microdiets significantly improved zebrafish growth and reproductive performance, while a decrease in incidence of vertebral column anomalies was observed. A high survival was also maintained in fish fed microdiets at an early developmental stage when comparing to exclusive Artemia nauplii feeding. In conclusion, early weaning with high quality microdiets is beneficial for zebrafish growth, reproductive performance, and skeletal development, contributing to the standardization of zebrafish husbandry practices.
- Effects of pristine or contaminated polyethylene microplastics on zebrafish developmentPublication . Tarasco, Marco; Gavaia, Paulo; Bensimon-Brito, Anabela; Cordelières, Fabrice P.; Santos, Tamara; Martins, Gil; De Castro, Daniela; Silva, Nadia; Cabrita, Elsa; Bebianno, Maria; Stainier, Didier Y.R.; Cancela, M. Leonor; Laizé, VincentThe presence of microplastics in the aquatic ecosystem represents a major issue for the environment and human health. The capacity of organic pollutants to adsorb onto microplastic particles raises additional concerns, as it creates a new route for toxic compounds to enter the food web. Current knowledge on the impact of pristine and/or contaminated microplastics on aquatic organisms remains insufficient, and we provide here new insights by evaluating their biological effects in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Zebrafish larvae were raised in ZEB316 stand-alone housing systems and chronically exposed throughout their development to polyethylene particles of 20-27 mu m, pristine (MP) or spiked with benzo[alpha]pyrene (MP-BaP), supplemented at 1% w/w in the fish diet. While they had no effect at 30 days post-fertilization (dpf), MP and MP-BaP affected growth parameters at 90 and 360 dpf. Relative fecundity, egg morphology, and yolk area were also impaired in zebrafish fed MP-BaP. Zebrafish exposed to experimental diets exhibited an increased incidence of skeletal deformities at 30 dpf as well as an impaired development of caudal fin/scales, and a decreased bone quality at 90 dpf. An intergenerational bone formation impairment was also observed in the offspring of parents exposed to MP or MP-BaP through a reduction of the opercular bone in 6 dpf larvae. Beside a clear effect on bone development, histological analysis of the gut revealed a reduced number of goblet cells in zebrafish fed MP-BaP diet, a sign of intestinal inflam-mation. Finally, exposure of larvae to MP-BaP up-regulated the expression of genes associated with the BaP response pathway, while negatively impacting the expression of genes involved in oxidative stress. Altogether, these data suggest that long-term exposure to pristine/contaminated microplastics not only jeopardizes fish growth, reproduction performance, and skeletal health, but also causes intergenerational effects.
- Microdiet formulation with phospholipid modulate zebrafish skeletal development and reproductionPublication . Martins, Gil; Diogo, Patricia; Santos, Tamara; Cabrita, Elsa; Pinto, Wilson; Dias, Jorge; J. Gavaia, PauloDietary phospholipids' (PLs) content, origin, and profile are known to affect fish development and reproductive performance, but their effects in zebrafish (Danio rerio) nutrition are still poorly investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of practical microdiets containing plant-based and marine PL sources in zebrafish growth, survival, skeletal development, and reproductive performance. Reproductive performance was evaluated according to sperm motility, number of eggs, egg morphometry, hatching rate, and offspring standard length at 5 days postfertilization (dpf). For this purpose, seven microdiets were used, where two control diets were tested along with a supplementation with soybean lecithin (SL) as a plant-based PL source, and krill oil (KO) and copepod oil (CO) as marine PL sources, or in combinations (SLCO and SLKO). KO supplementation decreased larval growth performance and induced severe skeletal anomalies. SL supplementation reduced sperm total motility but improved offspring length at 5 dpf. CO supplementation increased sperm motility and the number of spawned eggs. Our results showed that a careful selection of the origin of dietary PL sources for microdiet formulation is critical to ensure adequate skeletal development and reproductive success. This study contributes to the improvement of zebrafish microdiet formulation and optimization of zebrafish husbandry practices.