The effect of dietary nucleotide on the haematological and serum biochemical parameters of Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus) juveniles

This study was aimed to examine the impact of different levels of dietary nucleotides (Vannagen) on serum biochemical and blood parameters of Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus). Fish (42.37± 2.12 g and 23.67± 0.61 cm) were divided into four treatments with different levels of dietary nucleotides (0, 0.25, 0.35 and 0.5 percent of diet). There were three replicates with a density of 12 fish per tank. After 10 weeks of feeding, serum biochemical and blood parameters were measured. Among the measured factors, blood glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, erythrocyte and heterophil showed significant differences between the groups fed with nucleotides and the control group (P ≤ 0.05). By increasing the nucleotide levels, the mean heterophil and serum glucose showed significant increase and decrease, respectively. The highest and lowest values of cholesterol and triglyceride were found in groups fed with 0.25% and 0.35% nucleotides, respectively. The other measured factors had no significant difference (P≤0.05). Therefore, it could be said that with regard to the limited capacity of cells to synthesize nucleotides, external preparing of nucleotides could result in the production of needed nucleotides and an increase of its production speed, especially during stress. Such preparation can also improve fish physiology and health status

A study of genetic population of Alosa braschnicowi (Borodin, 1904) in Sari and Mahmodabad coasts in the Caspian Sea, using Microsatellite loci

In this study, five Microsatellite loci were used to evaluate genetic diversity of A. braschnicowi between two populations of the Caspian Sea. Sixty samples were collected from the coasts of Mahmodabad and Sari (30 specimens for each population). Five Microsatellite loci were highly polymorphic among all samples. The number of alleles per locus observed ranged from 17 to 32 and averaged 14.1 alleles across two populations. The average observed heterozygosis in Mahmodabad and Sari were 57.1% to 60.1% and average observed heterozygosis between two populations was 58.9%. Among 10 population-locus (5 loci × 2 populations) only two tests were in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, so highly deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was found. The average values of Fis and Nm were 0.33 and 14.19, respectively. Also AMOVA on base Fst index showed low genetic difference between two populations (2%), while the genetic diversity within population was 98%. Due to allelic diversity and estimates of heterozygosity, these markers can be useful in Alosa genus for population level analysis in the Caspian Sea

Responses of beluga (Huso huso) to salinity exposure: a laboratory evaluation of the effect of field-based salinity levels on osmoregulatory characteristics and growth performance

There is a need for a better understanding of how sturgeon, especially hatchery reared juveniles, respond to salinity challenges. Therefore, here we examined the effects of different field-based salinities (Freshwater [FW] (0.5), 3, 6, 9 and 12 ppt) on osmoregulatory characteristics and growth performance of juvenile beluga sturgeon, Huso huso, (22.1±1.1 g body weight) over a 60-day period. Survival rate was relatively high in all treatments although there was a sign of adverse effects of salinity on the survival as fish at 12 ppt salinity. Growth performance was better in fish reared at 3 ppt, followed by 6, 9 and 12 ppt. Overall, an increase in plasma sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and glucose levels was found in association with the increase of salinity, while the FW control group maintained basal levels. Haematocrit levels were also affected by the salinity and the observed levels in FW, 3 and 6 ppt salinities were lower than other salinity concentrations. The results indicated that the beluga sturgeon juveniles are able to survive and acclimate to moderate salinities. Here, we also discussed the importance of evaluating and comparing specific mechanisms of acclimation in populations across brackish waters of the southern Caspian Sea as such investigations may aid and improve aquaculture strategies

Genetic characterization of Garra rufa (Heckel, 1843) populations in Tigris Basin, Iran using microsatellite markers

The isolation-by-distance theory states that the genetic differentiation between individuals raised by increasing geographic distance. Therefore, this study tested this hypothesis for Garra rufa, a freshwater fish species of Iranian inland waters, from six rivers located at the different distances in Tirgis basin. For this purpose, eight variable microsatellite loci were applied to identify geographic-based population structure of G. rufa. From 240 fish of six populations, 102 alleles were found with a mean number of 11.625 to 13.250 alleles. Heterozygosity was ranged 0.567-0.638 in six studied populations. Moreover, a significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg were found in the studied populations. Unweight pair group analysis indicated that the six studied populations could be divided into four major clusters. The results revealed a fairly high level of genetic variation in the microsatellite loci within six studied populations. Wright’s fixation index (Fst) ranged between 0.013-0.044 indicating little genetic differentiation between populations. Within this range, however, we found a strong positive relation between Fst and geographical distance lending support to the isolation-by-distance theory

Assessment of essential elements in the wild Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso) caviar from Caspian Sea

In this study, the concentration of Calcium (Ca), Cobalt (Co), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Potassium (K), Magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn), Selenium (Se) and Zinc (Zn) as essential metals, were determined in caviar of wild beluga sturgeon caught from the Caspian Sea in March 2012. Potassium (4885.51± 17.81 µg g-1) and Magnesium (346.61± 6.6 µg g-1) had the highest concentration and Cobalt and Manganese levels were less than 0.01 mg kg-1 wet weight. The mean concentration of Copper and Zinc in the caviar samples were under the permissible limits proposed by the UK’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foods. The caviar maximum allowable daily consumption rate was calculated. However, the health risks from caviar consumption are uncertain because the amount of caviar consumed by heavy users is not known

The hematological improvement of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) during dietary supplementation with vitamin C after exposure to zinc nano-particles

The aim of this study was to examine the adverse effects of zinc nanoparticles on hematological indices of trout and investigate the improvement of these indices after vitamin C treatments. This study assesses the protective role of vitamin C in fish exposed to ZnO NPs. Two concentrations of ZnO-NPs (40 and 80 mg L^-1) and two doses of vitamin C (400 and 800 mg per kg of feed) were used to treat 162 specimens of Oncorhynchus mykiss. No mortality was observed during the test. After 5 and 10 days of exposure, hematological data were analyzed according to routine clinical methods. Statistical analysis showed significant changes in WBCs and RBC on day 10 (p0.05), while significant increase in neutrophils and monocytes, and decrease in lymphocyte cells were recorded (p<0.05). ZnO-NPs stimulated the immune system of O. mykiss, but this effect did not have any lethality on this species at 40 and 80 mg L^-1. Vitamin C in different concentrations could help to prevent rainbow trout from the toxic effects of this nano metal

Genetic characterization of Garra rufa (Heckel, 1843) populations in Tigris Basin, Iran using microsatellite markers

The isolation-by-distance theory states that the genetic differentiation between individuals raised by increasing geographic distance. Therefore, this study tested this hypothesis for Garra rufa, a freshwater fish species of Iranian inland waters, from six rivers located at the different distances in Tirgis basin. For this purpose, eight variable microsatellite loci were applied to identify geographic-based population structure of G. rufa. From 240 fish of six populations, 102 alleles were found with a mean number of 11.625 to 13.250 alleles. Heterozygosity was ranged 0.567-0.638 in six studied populations. Moreover, a significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg were found in the studied populations. Unweight pair group analysis indicated that the six studied populations could be divided into four major clusters. The results revealed a fairly high level of genetic variation in the microsatellite loci within six studied populations. Wright’s fixation index (Fst) ranged between 0.013-0.044 indicating little genetic differentiation between populations. Within this range, however, we found a strong positive relation between Fst and geographical distance lending support to the isolation-by-distance theory

Dietary effect of apple cider vinegar and propionic acid on immune related transcriptional responses and growth performance in white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei

AbstractThis experiment was conducted to study the effect of various levels of ACV® and Propionic acid (PA) on expression of immune related genes and growth performance in white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Three hundred and seventy-five shrimps with an average initial weight of 10.2 ± 0.04 g were collected and acclimatized for two weeks. Five experimental diets including control diet, 0.5% PA diet and 1%, 2% and 4% ACV® diets were applied to feed the shrimps. They were fed 4 times a day with 2.5% of body weight. After 60 days of culture, shrimps fed with ACV® and PA diets showed no significant difference in growth performance. Expression of prophenoloxidase (proPo), lysozyme (Lys), penaeidin-3a (Pen-3a) and Crustin (Cru) genes were determined from hepatopancreas, using the real-time PCR after 15, 30 and 60 days. Expression of Lys and proPo genes was significantly up regulated in shrimps fed with ACV® and PA diets compared to the control group after 30 and 60 days of treatment. After 15 days, Pen-3a gene expression was significantly higher in PA group compared to the control group. Also, shrimps fed with 1% and 4% ACV® and PA diets showed significantly increased expression of Pen-3a after 30 days. In contrast, expression of Cru was significantly down regulated in response to ACV® diets, but, Cru expression in treated shrimps with PA diet was greater than the control group after 30 and 60 days. Overall, the results provided evidence that ACV® could be used as a natural immunostimulant for shrimps in order to adjust and enhance expression of the immune related genes

The transcription of Hypoxia-inducible factors (hif-1, hif-2) during normal development of Beluga sturgeon (Huso huso Linnaeus, 1758)

In the present study, the levels of the hypoxia-inducible factors (hif-1, hif-2) transcripts were evaluated during development of an ancient fish species, Beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) in a normal oxygen environment. The transcripts of hif-1, hif-2 were detected in all developmental time-points of H. huso from embryos to juvenile fish. Changes in normalized hif-1, hif-2 mRNA expression by using the RPL6 over development was statistically significant over time (P < 0.05). Our results revealed that the mRNA expression of hifs was low during embryonic development and then upregulated significantly in the time of hatch and early larval time-points whereas, in the late larval development and juvenile stage started to decline. The upregulation of hif-1, hif-2 transcripts at the time of hatch and during yolk sac fry development of H. huso is likely tied to the role of hifs in organogenesis and angiogenesis

Genetic structure comparison of Paraschistura nielseni (Nalbant and Bianco, 1998( of Shapour, Dalaki (Fars province) and Mand (Busher province) Rivers using microsatellite markers

Paraschistur anielseni is one of the main species of Paraschistura genus that is distributed in freshwater rivers which drain into the Persian Gulf. There has not been any study on genetic diversity of this species yet. In this investigation, 90 samples were collected from the rivers Shapour, Dalaki (Fars province) and Mand (Bushehr province) (30 samples per river) to investigate their population structure. A total of five microsatellite loci and three populations were used. Of the five loci, a total of 124 allels were obtained for all three rivers. The lowest and highest allele number were observed in the loci Bbar4 (5alleles) in Mand river and the lociIC654 (12 alleles) in Shapour river. Average observed allele (Na) in the rivers Shapour, Dalaki and Mand were 8.4, 8.4 and 8, respectively. Average genetic diversity was determined 0.462 Ho, which was separately 0.461, 0.452 and 0.365 for Shapour, Dalaki and Mand rivers, respectively. The highest Ho (0.739) and the lowest Ho (0.174) were observed in the locus IC654 (Dalaki) and the locus IC228 (Mand).The expected and observed mean heterozygosity were 0.426 and 0.817. The analysis of molecular variance revealed a high genetic diversity (98%) within investigated populations and a low distinction between populations (2%). Approximately, all loci showed deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). According to UPGMA cluster analysis, based on genetic distance, populations of Shapour and Mond rivers were not separate, but possibly the population of Dalaki River is separate from populations of the two other rivers