Anti-foodborne enteritis effect of galantamine potentially via acetylcholine anti-inflammatory pathway in fish

Foodborne enteritis has become a limiting factor in aquaculture. Plant protein sources have already caused enteritic inflammation and inhibition in growth performance. Attempts have been made to find an effective solution to foodborne enteritis. Based on the previously suggested fish cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, galantamine, a typical cholinesterase inhibitor, was tested for the repression of pro-inflammatory cytokines for soybean meal induced enteritis by injection into grass carp. Both the phylogenetic analysis of cholinesterase, AchR and bioinformatic prediction, indicated galantamine's potential use as an enteritis drug. The result highlighted galantamine's potential effect for anti-enteritis in fish, especially in carps. Subsequently, a 4-week feeding trail using galantamine as an additive, in a zebrafish soybean meal induced enteritis model, demonstrated the prevention of enteritis. The results demonstrated that galantamine could prevent intestinal pathology, both histologically and molecularly, and also maintain growth performance. Reflected by gene expressional analysis, all mechanical, chemical and immune functions of the intestinal barrier could be protected by galantamine supplementation, which aided molecularly in the control of fish foodborne enteritis, through down-regulating Th17 type proinflammatory factors, meanwhile resuming the level of Treg type anti-inflammatory factors. Therefore, the current results shed light on fish intestinal acetylcholine anti-inflammation, by the dietary addition of galantamine, which could give rise to protection from foodborne enteritis.