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This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between different cornstarch levels in tilapia diet and immune function. All test fish were fed with three cornstarch levels: low-cornstarch (0, LS), medium-cornstarch (18%, MS) and high-cornstarch (36%, HS) diets. Three hundred and sixty fish (initial mean body weight 31.73 ± 1.36 g) were randomly allocated into twelve water-circulated tanks, and thirty fish per tank. Compared with the low and medium cornstarch diets, the results of growth showed that the high cornstarch diet significantly decreased the FBW, WGR, and SGR, and increased the FCR of tilapia ( P  < 0.05). The high cornstarch diet significantly decreased the content of crude protein and increased the content of crude lipid in whole body composition ( P  < 0.05). Moreover, the VSI and CF in HS diet were significantly higher than those of LS diet ( P  < 0.05). The results of blood biochemical index exhibited that the HS diet significantly increased the content of blood glucose, and liver/muscle glycogen ( P  < 0.05). The results of antioxidant experiments demonstrated that the content of SOD and T-AOC in MS diet were significantly higher than those of HS diet ( P  < 0.05). Meanwhile, the content of MDA in MS diet was significantly lower than that of HS diet ( P  < 0.05). The results of immune index test showed that the lysozyme activities in the serum, liver, and gill, and the phagocytic activity and index in MS diet were significantly higher than those of HS diet ( P  < 0.05). The challenge assay results revealed that the mortality rate of HS diet was higher than those of LS and MS diets, but the difference was not significant ( P  > 0.05). In conclusion, the overall results suggested that the 36% cornstarch diet reduced not only the growth performance, but also body immunity. Under this experimental condition, GIFT tilapia could tolerate 18% cornstarch, but not 36% cornstarch.

The Sox transcription factor family is characterized with the presence of a Sry-related high-mobility group (HMG) box and plays important roles in various biological processes in animals, including sex determination and differentiation, and the development of multiple organs. In this study, 27 Sox genes were identified in the genome of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), and were classified into seven groups. The members of each group of the tilapia Sox genes exhibited a relatively conserved exon-intron structure. Comparative analysis showed that the Sox gene family has undergone an expansion in tilapia and other teleost fishes following their whole genome duplication, and group K only exists in teleosts. Transcriptome-based analysis demonstrated that most of the tilapia Sox genes presented stage-specific and/or sex-dimorphic expressions during gonadal development, and six of the group B Sox genes were specifically expressed in the adult brain. Our results provide a better understanding of gene structure and spatio-temporal expression of the Sox gene family in tilapia, and will be useful for further deciphering the roles of the Sox genes during sex determination and gonadal development in teleosts.

This study investigated the effects of salinity and vitamin D (VD) supplementation on the physiological and molecular responses of red tilapia hybrid juvenile. The research comprehensively examined growth performance, hormonal profiles, and gene expression under different experimental conditions. Growth performance analysis revealed significant improvements with increasing salinity levels and VD supplementation. The highest growth parameters were observed at 30 ppt salinity with vitamin D3 supplementation, including peak final weight (42.04 g), maximum average daily gain (0.467 g), and optimal feed conversion ratio (0.927–0.967). Survival rates consistently improved, reaching 84.33% under optimal conditions. Hormonal parameters demonstrated notable modulation, with growth hormone (GH) levels showing marked increases, particularly at 15–30 ppt salinity. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) remained relatively stable across treatments, suggesting minimal stress response. Molecular analysis of gene expression revealed complex interactions between salinity and VD. The growth hormone (GH) gene showed significant upregulation, particularly at 30 ppt salinity with VD supplementation. The insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) gene expression exhibited a non-linear response, with substantial upregulation at 0 ppt salinity and downregulation at 30 ppt salinity. These findings highlight the intricate physiological adaptations and the role of vitamin D in juveniles of red tilapia hybrid under different salinity levels, Therefore, it is advisable to use 0.8 mg of VD followed by 0.4 mg under different salinity levels to enhance the growth performance, feed utilization, GH level, and expression of GH and IGF-II genes. Additionally, culturing fish at 30 ppt salinity followed by 15 ppt appears to improve overall performance compared to freshwater culture.

Aim: Examining whether small-scale tilapia cages have a potential influence on water abiotic parameters in a pond of a flow-through system. Methods: Tilapia cages were installed near the pond water outlet. Samples for determination of abiotic parameters were monthly collected during eight months at five sampling sites: near three inlets receiving effluents from other fishponds (IW12, IW6 and IWM, the latter opening in a macrophyte bed), close to the cages in the open-pond (CC) and close to the water outlet (WO). The data were analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Results: The first PCA axis (70% of the data variability) was related to eutrophication and the second axis (20%) to the dependence of nitrifying bacteria on substrate availability. The sampling sites IW12, CC and WO showed high eutrophication levels. The lowest total phosphorus content, total suspended solids, hardness, alkalinity and conductivity and the highest dissolved oxygen were observed in the macrophyte bed area (IWM). Fish cages significantly increased total phosphorus content, conductivity, alkalinity and hardness in relation to the macrophyte bed inlet. Water outlet abiotic parameters were similar to near cage water. Conclusion: The integrated cage-pond technology may be utilized in flow-through systems if incoming water quality (mainly in the site W12) is improved. Cages should be positioned closer to the pond center where it is deeper allowing higher flow-through and dispersion of uneaten feed residues and feces from the cages. This would avoid their deposition beneath cages and reduce their negatives influence on water quality entering the next fishpond (WO), and therefore not impair fish performance.

Cold stress during overwintering is considered a bottleneck problem limiting the development of the red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) industry, and the regulation mechanism is currently not well understood. In this study, the fish (initial weight: 72.71 ± 1.32 g) were divided into the cold stress group (cold) and the control (normal) group. In the control group, the water temperature was maintained at 20 °C, which is basically consistent with the overwintering water temperature in greenhouses of local areas. In the cold group, the water temperature decreased from 20 °C to 8 °C by 2 °C per day during the experiment. At the end of the experiment, the levels of fish serum urea nitrogen, glucose, norepinephrine, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, and total cholesterol in the cold group changed significantly compared with that in the control group (P < 0.05). Then transcriptome sequencing and LC–MS metabolome of brain tissue were further employed to obtain the mRNA and metabolite datasets. We found that the FoxO signaling pathway and ABC transporters played an important role by transcriptome–metabolome association analysis. In the FoxO signaling pathway, the differentially expressed genes were related to cell cycle regulation, apoptosis and immune-regulation, and oxidative stress resistance and DNA repair. In the ABC transporters pathway, the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) subfamily abca, abcb, and abcc gene expression levels, and the deoxycytidine, L-lysine, L-glutamic acid, L-threonine, ornithine, and uridine metabolite contents changed. Our results suggested that the cold stress may promote apoptosis through regulation of the FoxO signaling pathway. The ABC transporters may respond to cold stress by regulating amino acid metabolism. The results provided a comprehensive understanding of fish cold stress during overwintering, which will facilitate the breeding of new cold-resistant varieties of red tilapia in the future.

High-density aquaculture and nutritional imbalances may promote fatty liver in genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT, Oreochromis niloticus), thus reducing the gains achieved by breeding. In this study, apple peel powder (APP) was used as a feed additive for GIFT. A control group (fed on a diet without APP) and five groups fed on diets supplemented with APP (at 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4%, or 0.8% of the diet, by weight) were established to investigate the effects of APP on GIFT growth performance and physiological parameters, and on gene expression as determined by transcriptomic analysis. Dietary supplementation with APP at 0.2% promoted GIFT growth, reduced total cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels in the serum and liver, and decreased alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities in the serum. Gene expression profiles in the liver were compared among the control, 0.2% APP, and 0.8% APP groups, and differentially expressed genes among these groups were identified. Annotation analyses using tools at the Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes databases showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in the regulation of immunity and fat metabolism. The results showed that excessive supplementation with APP in the diet significantly inhibited the expression of insulin-like growth factor 2 and liver-type fatty acid-binding protein, and stimulated the expression of fatty acid desaturase 2, heat shock protein 90 beta family member 1, and nuclear factor kappa B. This resulted in disordered lipid metabolism and increased pro-inflammatory reactions, which in turn caused liver damage. Therefore, APP has good potential as an environmentally friendly feed additive for GIFT at levels of 0.1%-0.2% in the diet, but excessive amounts can have adverse effects.

Identifying natural growth-promoting agents and implementing environmentally sustainable methodologies are paramount strategies for enhancing the performance and welfare of aquatic fish farms. Phyllanthus emblica (PE) possesses a broad spectrum of bioactive properties, including antioxidant, antiviral, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory effects. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the beneficial effects of PE dietary supplementation on the growth, immunity, redox homeostasis, organ histology, gene transcripts, and disease resistance of Red Tilapia against Fusarium oxysporum. A total of 240 fish (25.0 ± 3.0 g) were randomly distributed among 12 ponds, with 20 fish per pond. The fish were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0 (PE0), 5 (PE5), 10 (PE10), or 20 g of PE powder per kg of diet for 70 days. Following the trial, a challenge test was carried out. The PE5 group achieved significantly greater body weight, weight gain, specific growth rate (SGR) and digestive enzymes (lipase and amylases) than the PE20 group ( p  < 0.05). However, the PE5 group recorded the best feed conversion ratio compared to the other groups ( p  < 0.05). All PE-supplemented groups exhibited lower muscle lipid content and higher ash content ( p  < 0.05). PE-fortified groups displayed substantially lower levels of liver enzymes (AST, ALT, and ALP), creatinine, glucose, and lipid profile (cholesterol, triglycerides) compared to the PE0 group ( p  < 0.05). PE-fortified diets significantly enhanced the fish’s antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, and GPx), immunological parameters ( p  < 0.05) for phagocytic activity, phagocytic index, and WBCs) and preserved the intestinal and hepatic tissues. The supplementation of 5 g PE/kg in Red Tilapia significantly enhanced the gene expression of growth genes ( GH and IGF-1 ). In contrast, the group supplemented with 20 g PE/kg showed superior results for immune-related genes (including CC chemokines and interleukin-8 ) and antioxidant enzymes ( SOD and GPx ) ( p  < 0.05). Overall, the inclusion of 5 g/kg PE optimized growth performance in Red Tilapia, while the inclusion of 20 g/kg resulted in superior immune and antioxidant capabilities. These results highlight PE’s dual potential to enhance growth and boost health, confirming its promise as a natural feed additive for sustainable Tilapia aquaculture.

To reduce the use of antibiotics and chemicals in aquaculture, an edible herb, Bidens pilosa , has been selected as a multifunctional feed additive. Although there has been considerable research into the effects of B. pilosa on poultry, the wider effects of B. pilosa , particularly on the growth and gut microbiota of fish, remain largely unexplored. We aimed to investigate the interactive effects between the host on growth and the gut microbiota using transcriptomics and the gut microbiota in B. pilosa -fed tilapia. In this study, we added 0.5% and 1% B. pilosa to the diet and observed that the growth performance of tilapia significantly increased over 8 weeks of feeding. Comparative transcriptome analysis was performed on RNA sequence profiles obtained from liver and muscle tissues. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that B. pilosa regulates several pathways and genes involved in amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, endocrine system, signal transduction, and metabolism of other amino acids. The expression of the selected growth-associated genes was validated by qRT–PCR. The qRT–PCR results indicated that B. pilosa may enhance growth performance by activating the expression of the liver igf1 and muscle igf1rb genes and inhibiting the expression of the muscle negative regulator mstnb . Both the enhancement of liver endocrine IGF1/IGF1Rb signaling and the suppression of muscle autocrine/paracrine MSTN signaling induced the expression of myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs), myod1 , myog and mrf4 in muscle to promote muscle growth in tilapia. The predicted function of the gut microbiota showed several significantly different pathways that overlapped with the KEGG enrichment results of differentially expressed genes in the liver transcriptomes. This finding suggested that the gut microbiota may influence liver metabolism through the gut–liver axis in B. pilosa -fed tilapia. In conclusion, dietary B. pilosa can regulate endocrine IGF1 signaling and autocrine/paracrine MSTN signaling to activate the expression of MRFs to promote muscle growth and alter the composition of gut bacteria, which can then affect liver amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, endocrine system, lipid metabolism, metabolism of other amino acids, and signal transduction in the host, ultimately enhancing growth performance. Our results suggest that B. pilosa has the potential to be a functional additive that can be used as an alternative to reduce antibiotic use as a growth promoter in aquaculture.

Erythrocytic nuclear alterations have been considered as an indicative of organism's exposure to genotoxic agents. Due to their close relationship among their frequencies and DNA damages, they are considered excellent markers of exposure in eukaryotes. However, poor data has been found in literature concerning their genesis, differential occurrence and their life span. In this study, we use markers of cell viability; genotoxicity and cellular turn over in order to shed light to these events. Tilapia and their blood were exposed to cadmium in acute exposure and in vitro assays. They were analyzed using flow cytometry for oxidative stress and membrane disruption, optical microscopy for erythrocytic nuclear alteration, graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for cadmium content in aquaria water, blood and cytochemical and analytical electron microscopy techniques for the hemocateretic aspects. The results showed a close relationship among the total nuclear alterations and cadmium content in the total blood and melanomacrophage centres area, mismatching reactive oxygen species and membrane damages. Moreover, nuclear alterations frequencies (vacuolated, condensed and blebbed) showed to be associated to cadmium exposure whereas others (lobed and bud) were associated to depuration period. Decrease on nuclear alterations frequencies was also associated with hemosiderin increase inside spleen and head kidney macrophages mainly during depurative processes. These data disclosure in temporal fashion the main processes that drive the nuclear alterations frequencies and their relationship with some cellular and systemic biomarkers.

Water quality in land-based fish production can be controlled through either instantaneous water exchange or costly wastewater treatment followed by recirculation. Agricultural-aquaculture integration is an excellent alternative technique for reducing nutrient discharge levels, boosting profitability, and converting fish culture wastewater into valuable products. The current study employed a solar energy system to power two separate IMTA-aquaponics systems (Nutrient Film Technique, NFT, and Floating Raft Systems, FRS) for the cultivation of Nile tilapia, African catfish, thin-lipped grey mullet, freshwater crayfish, freshwater mussels, and a variety of vegetables. Tilapia and catfish were fed exclusively on diets under the IMTA system. All wastewater from tilapia and catfish ponds, both dissolved and solid, flows sequentially to ponds containing other cultivated species. The water then flows through the IMTA system's terminal point to the NFT and FRS systems before returning to the tilapia and catfish ponds, allowing complete control of the nutrient flow throughout this entire circular system. Two 147-day production cycles were concluded. The results from the second production cycle are reported. Total biomass gain for aquatic species in the IMTA system was 736.46 kg, compared to 145.49 kg in the tilapia and 271.01 kg in the catfish monoculture systems. The current IMTA system had a cumulative feed conversion ratio (FCR) of 0.90, while the FCRs for tilapia and catfish were 1.28 and 1.42, respectively. Nile tilapia and catfish consumed 571.90 kg of feed containing 25.70 kg of nitrogen (N) and 9.70 kg of phosphorus (P), reflecting, and gaining 11.41 and 3.93 kg of dietary N and P, representing 44.40 and 40.46% dietary N and P retention, respectively. In the IMTA system, the addition of mullet and prawn as detrivores aquatic animals improves dietary N and P utilization efficiency to 59.06 and 51.19%, respectively, while the addition of mussels as herbivore animals improves dietary N and P utilization efficiency to 65.61 and 54.67%, respectively. Finally, using FRS and NFT as hydroponic systems increased dietary N and P efficiency to 83.51% N and 96.82% P, respectively. This study shows that the IMTA-Aquaponic system, as a bio-integrated food production system, can convert the majority of fish-fed residues into valuable products suitable for desert, rural, and urban areas in impoverished and developing countries.