Curcuma longa as additive in the diet for Astyanax aff. bimaculatus

Morphophysiological alterations in fruit-eating bats after oral exposure to deltamethrin

Deltamethrin (DTM) is a synthetic pyrethroid widely used in the cultivation and management of several crops due to its insecticidal action. Application to crops of pyrethroids such as DTM can result in the exposure of water and fruit consumed by fruit bats having a high pyrethroid content which may be harmful. Therefore the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of short-term oral exposure of the fruit-eating bats (Artibeus lituratus) to two concentrations of DTM (0.02 and 0.04 mg/kg of papaya) on histopathology of the intestine, liver and kidney. The intestine of the animals exposed to both concentrations showed inflammatory infiltrate, degeneration, necrosis and goblet cell hyperplasia as the most frequent pathologies. Besides, the acid mucins showed an increase in the frequency of non-viable cells. The liver showed hepatocyte vacuolizatio and nuclear enlargement, as well as inflammatory infiltrate and steatosis. The kidneys of the exposed animals showed and inflammatory infiltrate, benign nephrosclerosis, vacuolization and necrosis. Also, DTM reduced nitric oxide synthesis, decreased glomerular diameter and increased glycogen percentage in the proximal tubules. Our results suggest that acute exposure to DTM at low concentrations has the potential to induce pronounced histopathological changes in vital organs, such as intestine, liver and kidney of fruit-eating bats.

Dietary supplementation with curcumin nanomicelles, curcumin, and turmeric affects growth performance and silver nanoparticle toxicity in Cyprinus carpio

An 8-week feeding experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of curcumin nanomicelle, curcumin, and turmeric (Curcuma longa) on growth performances, body composition, fatty acid profile, and biochemical parameters of common carp (Cyprinus carpio), and their ameliorative effects against toxicity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). A total of 120 healthy carps were randomly distributed into four equal treatments. Curcumin nanomicelle, curcumin, and turmeric were each added separately to the basal diet. After the feeding trials, all treatments were exposed to a non-lethal concentration of AgNPs (0.5 mg L^-1) for 96 h. Fish fed dietary turmeric showed a significantly higher weight gain. The body protein content was significantly increased in all feeding groups, while the lipid content showed a significant decrease in the turmeric-treated group. Dietary turmeric improved the concentration of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA). AgNP exposure led to increases in liver catalase (CAT) activity of carps fed with turmeric and curcumin. The lowest amount of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was obtained in fish fed with nanomicelle curcumin and curcumin diets. The lowest amount of silver accumulation in the liver of carps was found in fish fed with dietary curcumin nanomicelle. This experiment suggests that supplementation of turmeric (50 g kg^-1) or curcumin (1000 mg kg^-1) may play an important role in enhancing growth performances and fatty acid composition of the common carp. Moreover, administration of curcumin nanomicelle in the diet may have a potential ameliorative effect against toxicity of AgNPs.

Curcuma longa hydrolate improves Nile tilapia survival in a recirculation rearing system, maintaining the animal homeostasis and modulating the gut microbial community

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the dietary supplementation Curcuma longa hydrolate on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) reared in a recirculation system. Hemato-immunological parameters, growth performance, nitrogen and phosphorus retention, as well as body composition and its interaction with the intestinal microbiota, were studied. Nile tilapia fingerlings (120) were distributed randomly in 8 polyethylene tanks (40 L). The experimental units were divided into two treatments, in quadruplicate: commercial diet supplemented with 2.5% of C. longa hydrolate and commercial diet without supplementation (control). After 45 days, the treatment supplemented hydrolate showed higher survival than the control group, 95.25% and 82.22%, receptively. In the blood profile, fish supplemented with hydrolate had a higher count of total leukocytes and neutrophils, as well as mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, than control group. The hydrolate group showed a substantial increase in the relative abundance of Cetobacterium and Romboutsia, as well as lower diversity in gut microbiota. The dietary addition of C. longa hydrolate for Nile tilapia seems to have a beneficial effect on gut microbiota, in addition to a likely positive effect on the physiological performance of Nile tilapia by maintaining intestinal homeostasis and promoting survival in reared conditions.

Supplementation of Curcuma longa hydrolate improves immunomodulatory response in Nile tilapia reared in a recirculation aquaculture system

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with different doses of Curcuma longa hydrolate on the hematological, immunological and zootechnical parameters of Nile tilapia cultivated in a recirculation system (RAS). Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were used, distributed in 16 polyethylene boxes, divided into four treatments: 0.0%; 2.5%; 7.5% and 10.0% of Curcuma longa hydrolate, in quadruplicate. After 45 days of treatment, four fish per experimental unit were anesthetized to remove blood aliquot for hematological and immunological analyzes and dissect the liver to evaluate the hepatosomatic index and final biometry. In the haematological analysis, the fish fed with 2.5% had a higher number of leukocytes, monocytes and lymphocytes than control, while the doses of 7.5% and 10.0% did not differ. Antimicrobial activity showed a significant decrease as the dose of C. longa hydrolate increased. The other hematological, immunological, hepatosomatic index and zootechnical data did not differ between treatments. Thus, supplementation of the hydrolate of Curcuma longa at a dosage of 2.5%, improved and maintained blood-immune homeostasis parameters in these animals, being suggested for further studies.

Reversible sterilization by supplementing turmeric (Curcuma longa) powder to diets of female Pseudotropheus socolofi

This study was conducted to determine if diets supplemented with turmeric powder (Curcuma longa) affected the reversible sterilization of Pseudotropheus socolofi. Three experimental diets were formulated to contain 0%, 10%, and 14% turmeric powder. The fish (mean weight 13 g) were randomly divided into groups consisting of 1 male and 4 females for each aquarium and were kept together for 137 days. The control group was fed a diet without turmeric, while the others were fed diets with turmeric for the first 75 days. All groups were then fed the control diet from day 75 to 137. The results showed that turmeric powder supplementation did not affect growth performance (p ˃ 0.05). A histopathological examination of the ovaries, performed on two samples on days 75 and 137, revealed that high doses of turmeric decreased number of ovulated vitellogenic follicles and ovarian activity. Moreover, immature follicle density was excessive in groups fed turmeric powder. However, the number of ovulated vitellogenic follicles increased in groups fed diets containing 10% and 14% turmeric after feeding them with the turmeric-free control diet from day 75 to 137. In conclusion, the study revealed that supplementing diets with high ratios of turmeric can influence ovarian activity; however, these effects can be reversed by ceasing supplementation.

Subfertility effects of turmeric (Curcuma longa) on reproductive performance of Pseudotropheus acei

This study was conducted to determine the effect of turmeric powder dietary supplementation on the histology of visceral organs and reproductive performance of Pseudotropheus acei. The fish were fed dietary additions of 0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, and 7% turmeric powder. Each treatment was replicated three times. There were one male and four female fish with a mean weight of 6 g in each replicate. The fish were fed ad libitum for 90 days. There were no differences in fertility rate, fecundity rate, hatching rate, egg diameter, and larvae survival rate among groups (P < 0.05). Ovulation frequency and the percent of spawning broodstock were less in the 7% and 5% turmeric-supplemented group (P < 0.05), while there were no effects of treatment in the 1%, and 3% groups compared with the control group. Observations in histopathological examinations indicated there were normal tissue structures in the control, 1% and 3% turmeric-supplemented groups, while the addition of 5% and 7% turmeric induced a degeneration of and decrease in number of observable ovarian follicles. In addition, there was a normal liver structure in the control and the 1% and 3% turmeric-supplemented groups and slight to severe lipidosis in the 5% and 7% turmeric-supplemented groups. Also, the supplementation of larger amounts of turmeric induced enteritis and the slight to severe side effects on the relevant organs. These results indicate that supplementing of diets with turmeric powder in amounts of 5% and 7% suppressed ovarian follicle development, and extended periods between times of spawning which resulted in subfertility of broodstocks.