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Projeto de investigação
Nutritional immunology as a tool to boost immunity and disease resistance in farmed fish
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Alternative proteins for fish diets: implications beyond growth
Publication . Aragão, Cláudia; Gonçalves, Ana Teresa; Costas, Benjamín; Azeredo, Rita; Xavier, Maria João; Engrola, Sofia
Aquaculture has been challenged to find alternative ingredients to develop innovative feed formulations that foster a sustainable future growth. Given the most recent trends in fish feed formulation on the use of alternative protein sources to decrease the dependency of fishmeal, it is fundamental to evaluate the implications of this new paradigm for fish health and welfare. This work intends to comprehensively review the impacts of alternative and novel dietary protein sources on fish gut microbiota and health, stress and immune responses, disease resistance, and antioxidant capacity. The research results indicate that alternative protein sources, such as terrestrial plant proteins, rendered animal by-products, insect meals, micro- and macroalgae, and single cell proteins (e.g., yeasts), may negatively impact gut microbiota and health, thus affecting immune and stress responses. Nevertheless, some of the novel protein sources, such as insects and algae meals, have functional properties and may exert an immunostimulatory activity. Further research on the effects of novel protein sources, beyond growth, is clearly needed. The information gathered here is of utmost importance, in order to develop innovative diets that guarantee the production of healthy fish with high quality standards and optimised welfare conditions, thus contributing to a sustainable growth of the aquaculture industry.
Dietary tryptophan intervention counteracts stress-induced transcriptional changes in a teleost fish HPI axis during inflammation
Publication . Peixoto, Diogo; Carvalho, Inês; Machado, Marina; Aragão, Cláudia; Costas, Benjamín; Azeredo, Rita
Immune nutrition is currently used to enhance fish health by incorporating functional ingredients into aquafeeds. This study aimed to investigate the connections between tryptophan nutrition and the network that regulates the communication pathways between neuroendocrine and immune systems in European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). When tryptophan was supplemented in the diet of unstressed fish, it induced changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis response to stress. Tryptophan-mediated effects were observed in the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines and glucocorticoid receptors. Tryptophan supplementation decreased pro-opiomelanocortin b-like levels, that are related with adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol secretion. When stressed fish fed a tryptophan-supplemented diet were subjected to an inflammatory stimulus, plasma cortisol levels decreased and the expression of genes involved in the neuroendocrine response was altered. Modulatory effects of tryptophan dietary intervention on molecular patterns seem to be mediated by altered patterns in serotonergic activity.
Immunomodulatory effects of dietary methionine supplementation in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) juveniles: insights following vaccination and infection response against Yersinia ruckeri
Publication . Carvalho, Inês; Schoninger, Felipe Bolgenhagen; Pereira da Cunha, André; Peixoto, Diogo; Brito, Francisca; Simões, Luara; Vaz, Mariana; Stensballe, Allan; Ferreira, Inês; Santos, Paulo; Tafalla, Carolina; Machado, Marina; Costas, Benjamín
Methionine, an essential amino acid, participates in various pathways with implications for the immune system. Recent evidence suggests that it may support both innate and adaptive immune mechanisms. In the present study, it was hypothesized that dietary methionine supplementation prior to vaccination may be a promising strategy to improve vaccine efficacy. Hence, the current research aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary methionine supplementation on the immune status of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) juveniles, its role in modulating immune responses, as well as its potential synergistic effects with a commercial vaccine. To this end, fish were fed either a control diet (CTRL), meeting the methionine requirements of the species, or a methioninesupplemented diet (MET). After 4 weeks, half of the fish within each dietary group were either dip-vaccinated against Yersinia ruckeri (vaccinated) or left unvaccinated (naïve). Twenty-one days post-vaccination, during which fish continued on their respective dietary treatment, fish were intraperitoneally challenged with Y. ruckeri or injected with HBSS to serve as a control. Bacterial load in gills, posterior gut and spleen tissues, hematological parameters, differential cell counts, hepatic metabolites and antioxidant defenses, gene expression in the head-kidney and liver tissues, and plasma proteomic profiles were assessed following feeding trial and immunization period, and at early time points post-infection. Mortality was also monitored. Naïve fish exhibited a higher prevalence of Y. ruckeri, along with increased expression of pro-inflammatory and innate immune genes compared to their vaccinated counterparts. In contrast, vaccinated fish appeared to resolve the infection more rapidly, possibly through an early and heightened production of reactive oxygen species. In naïve fish, methionine supplementation appeared to impair antioxidant defenses and prolong immune activation, potentially contributing to the higher bacterial burden and reduced survival observed in this group. Differences between the two vaccinated groups were subtle, with no mortality recorded in either. However, proteomic analyses at 24 h post-infection revealed distinct responses, with MET-fed vaccinated fish exhibiting an increase in hemostasisrelated proteins, while CTRL-fed vaccinated fish showed a response more akin to pre-infection groups. Methionine supplementation in combination with vaccination appeared to promote slightly faster pathogen clearance.
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Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Programa de financiamento
CEEC IND 3ed
Número da atribuição
2020.00290.CEECIND/CP1599/CT0001