Echium oil is better than rapeseed oil in improving the response of barramundi to a disease challenge

Vitamin E Ameliorates Impaired Ovarian Development, Oxidative Stress, and Disrupted Lipid Metabolism in Oreochromis niloticus Fed with a Diet Containing Olive Oil Instead of Fish Oil

Aquaculture feed containing olive oil (OO) instead of fish oil (FO) can cause oxidative stress and impair gonad development in fish. We determined the effect of dietary OO-induced oxidative stress on ovarian development, and explored whether vitamin E (VE) could mitigate negative effects. Female Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were fed for 10 weeks with four diets: 5% OO + 70 mg/kg VE, 5% OO + 200 mg/kg VE, 5% FO + 70 mg/kg VE, or 5% FO + 200 mg/kg VE. Dietary OO reduced the specific growth rate and gonadosomatic index, inhibited superoxide dismutase and catalase, delayed ovarian development, decreased serum sex hormone levels, and reduced ovarian triglyceride and n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acid contents. The transcript levels of genes encoding sex hormone receptors (erα, fshr, lhr) and components of the lipid metabolism pathway (pparα, pparγ, hsl, accα, elovl6), the nrf2 signaling pathway (nrf2, keap1), and the nf-κb signaling pathway (nf-κb, tnfα, infγ, il1β) differed between the 70VE/OO and 70VE/FO groups. Supplementation with 200 mg/kg VE mitigated the adverse effects of OO by improving antioxidant capacity and alleviating inflammation and abnormal lipid metabolism. This may be because VE is an antioxidant and it can regulate the nrf2-nf-κb signaling pathway.

High level of dietary olive oil decreased growth, increased liver lipid deposition and induced inflammation by activating the p38 MAPK and JNK pathways in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea)

A feeding experiment was conducted to determine the effects of fish oil replaced by olive oil (OO) on growth performance, serum biochemical, antioxidant capacity and inflammatory response in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea). Four iso-nitrogenous and iso-lipidic diets were formulated by replacing fish oil (FO) with 0% (the control group), 33.3%, 66.7% and 100% OO. Fish fed the diet with 100% OO had the lowest growth performance among dietary treatments. However, there were no significant differences in SGR and FI among fish fed diets with 0% (the control group), 33.3% and 66.7% OO (P > 0.05). As to morphological parameters, HSI was significantly increased in fish fed the diet with 100% OO than the control group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the lipid content of the liver in fish fed the diet with 100% OO was significantly higher than the control group (P < 0.05). Fish fed the diet with 100% OO had the highest content of C18:1n-9 among dietary treatments. Serum total triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and activity of serum alanine transaminase (ALT) were significantly increased in fish fed the diet with 100% OO compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, dietary OO decreased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in fish fed diets with increasing dietary OO levels. However, the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly increased in fish fed the diet with 100% OO compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The expression of pro-inflammatory genes, COX-2, IL-1β and TNFα, were significantly increased in the liver of fish fed the diet with 100% OO compared with the control group (P < 0.05), which was probably due to the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) pathways and Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) as the increased protein ratio of p-p38 MAPK to p38 MAPK and p-JNK to JNK. These results suggested that high level of dietary OO decreased the growth performance and antioxidant capacity but induced inflammation via the activation of p38 MAPK and JNK pathways in large yellow croaker.

Echium oil increased the expression of a Δ4 Fads2 fatty acyl desaturase and the deposition of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid in comparison with linseed oil in striped snakehead (Channa striata) muscle

Despite the potential of vegetable oils as aquafeed ingredients, a major drawback associated with their utilization is the inferior level of beneficial n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA). Echium oil (EO), which is rich in stearidonic acid (SDA, 18:4n-3), could potentially improve the deposition of n-3 LC-PUFA as the biosynthesis of LC-PUFA is enhanced through bypassing the rate-limiting ∆6 desaturation step. We report for the first time an attempt to investigate whether the presence of a desaturase (Fads2) capable of ∆4 desaturation activities and an elongase (Elovl5) will leverage the provision of dietary SDA to produce a higher rate of LC-PUFA bioconversion. Experimental diets were designed containing fish oil (FO), EO or linseed oil (LO) (100FO, 100EO, 100LO), and diets which comprised equal mixtures of the designated oils (50EOFO and 50EOLO) were evaluated in a 12-week feeding trial involving striped snakeheads (Channa striata). There was no significant difference in growth and feed conversion efficiency. The hepatic fatty acid composition and higher expression of fads2 and elovl5 genes in fish fed EO-based diets indicate the utilization of dietary SDA for LC-PUFA biosynthesis. Collectively, this resulted in a higher deposition of muscle eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) compared to LO-based diets. Dietary EO improved the ratio of n-3 LC-PUFA to n-6 LC-PUFA in fish muscle, which is desirable for human populations with excessive consumption of n-6 PUFA. This study validates the contribution of SDA in improving the content of n-3 LC-PUFA and the ratio of EPA to arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4n-6) in a freshwater carnivorous species.

Evaluation of the impact of camelina oil-containing diets on the expression of genes involved in the innate anti-viral immune response in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)

To improve sustainability of aquaculture, especially for carnivorous species like Atlantic cod, replacement of fish oil-based diets with vegetable oil-based diets has been studied. The use of vegetable oil in fish feeds can significantly change the fatty acid composition of fish tissues, and given the importance of fatty acids in inflammation and immunity, this change could potentially impact the immune response and health of the fish. The oilseed Camelina sativa is a promising source for this vegetable oil, because of the high oil content of its seeds (40%), a higher n-3 fatty acid content than most other oilseeds, and a high amount of γ-tocopherol. This study aims to investigate the effect of the replacement of dietary fish oil with oil from Camelina sativa on the immune response of Atlantic cod, as measured by the gene expression in spleen. Juvenile cod were fed on a fish oil-based diet (FO) or one of two diets in which camelina oil replaced 40% or 80% of fish oil (40CO and 80CO respectively) for 67 days, after which they were injected with either the viral mimic polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid (pIC), or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) as a control. Microarray analysis was used to determine the effect of the diet on the basal spleen transcriptome (pre-injection), and on the response to pIC (24 h post-injection). No marked differences in the spleen transcriptome were found between the three diets, either before or after injection with pIC. All fish, regardless of diet, showed a strong anti-viral response 24 h after pIC injection, with more than 500 genes having a significant difference of expression of 2-fold or higher compared to the PBS-injected fish for the FO, 40CO and 80CO diets. Gene Ontology annotation analysis of the three pIC-responsive gene lists indicated they were highly similar, and that the term 'immune system process' was significantly enriched in the pIC-responsive gene lists for all three diets. QPCR analysis for 5 genes with a known function in the anti-viral innate immune response (LGP2, STAT1, IRF1, ISG15 and viperin) showed modestly (smaller than 2-fold) up-regulated basal expression of LGP2, IRF1 and STAT1 in fish fed 40CO compared to the other diets. After pIC injection, all 5 genes were significantly and strongly up-regulated in pIC-injected fish compared to PBS-injected fish, but no significant differences were found between any of the diets. In conclusion, replacement of up to 80% of fish oil with camelina oil in Atlantic cod diets does not have a strong effect on basal spleen gene expression. Atlantic cod fed on camelina oil-containing diets are capable of mounting a strong anti-viral immune response, which is comparable to that in cod fed with a fish oil diet.

Full substitution of fish oil with camelina (Camelina sativa) oil, with partial substitution of fish meal with camelina meal, in diets for farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and its effect on tissue lipids and sensory quality

Camelina oil (CO) and meal (CM) are potential replacements of fish meal (FM) and oil (FO) in aquaculture feeds. CO is high in α-linolenic acid (18:3ω3, ALA) (30%), with an ω3/ω6 ratio >1. This study tested diets with 100% CO, solvent extracted FM (SEFM) and partially substituted FM with 10% CM, in a 16 week feeding trial with Atlantic salmon (initial weight 240 g fish(-1)). Final weight (529-691 g fish(-1)) was not affected by using 100% CO; however it was lower in groups fed SEFM and 10% CM diets. Total lipid in salmon flesh fed a diet with CO, SEFM and CM (22% ww(-1)) was significantly higher than FO flesh (14% ww(-1)). There was no difference in the sensory quality of salmon fillets that were fed either FO or 100% CO diets. This was the first study to use CO as a complete FO replacement in diets for farmed Atlantic salmon.

Bioconversion of α-linolenic acid into n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid in hepatocytes and ad hoc cell culture optimisation

This study aimed to establish optimal conditions for a cell culture system that would allow the measurement of 18∶3n-3 (ALA) bioconversion into n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LC-PUFA), and to determine the overall pathway kinetics. Using rat hepatocytes (FaO) as model cells, it was established that a maximum 20∶5n-3 (EPA) production from 50 µM ALA initial concentration was achieved after 3 days of incubation. Next, it was established that a gradual increase in the ALA concentration from 0 up to 125µM lead to a proportional increase in EPA, without concomitant increase in further elongated or desaturated products, such as 22∶5n-3 (DPA) and 22∶6n-3 (DHA) in 3 day incubations. Of interest, ALA bioconversion products were observed in the culture medium. Therefore, in vitro experiments disregarding the medium fatty acid content are underestimating the metabolism efficiency. The novel application of the fatty acid mass balance (FAMB) method on cell culture system (cells with medium) enabled quantifying the apparent enzymatic activities for the biosynthesis of n-3 LC-PUFA. The activity of the key enzymes was estimated and showed that, under these conditions, 50% (Km) of the theoretical maximal (V_max = 3654 µmol.g⁻¹ of cell protein.hour⁻¹) Fads2 activity on ALA can be achieved with 81 µM initial ALA. Interestingly, the apparent activity of Elovl2 (20∶5n-3 elongation) was the slowest amongst other biosynthesis steps. Therefore, the possible improvement of Elovl2 activity is suggested toward a more efficient DHA production from ALA. The present study proposed and described an ad hoc optimised cell culture conditions and methodology towards achieving a reliable experimental platform, using FAMB, to assist in studying the efficiency of ALA bioconversion into n-3 LC-PUFA in vitro. The FAMB proved to be a powerful and inexpensive method to generate a detailed description of the kinetics of n-3 LC-PUFA biosynthesis enzymes activities in vitro.