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Carbohydrates are a common and economical energy source in animal feeds. However, most fish show a persistent postprandial hyperglycemia after intake of a high-carbohydrate diet. Unfortunately, the mechanism of glucose metabolism in fish is still unclear. In the present study, tiger puffer (Takifugu rubripes) and turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) were intraperitoneally injected or orally administered with glucose or fructose (500 mg/kg body weight) to evaluate the ability of fish to utilize carbohydrates. Afterwards, serum glucose, fructose, pyruvate, insulin levels, and acute hypoxia tolerance were measured. Our results showed increased serum glucose level and then decreased post intraperitoneal injection with glucose, and reached a peak after 0.5 hours in turbot and 1 hour in tiger puffer. Tiger puffer had significantly lower liver glycogen, serum glucose, fructose, pyruvate, and insulin contents than turbot. Glucose and fructose only induced insulin secretion in turbot, but did not change serum insulin level in tiger puffer. Glucose was a stronger stimulator of insulin than fructose in the two marine species. Both intraperitoneal injection and oral fructose intake increased serum glucose level, while intraperitoneal or oral glucose also increased serum fructose level. Intraperitoneal injection of glucose promoted absorption and utilization of glucose in the blood more effectively than oral glucose intake. In addition, turbot and tiger puffer were intolerant to acute hypoxia, whereas supplementation with glucose or fructose improved hypoxia tolerance in the two marine fishes by activating anaerobic glycolysis. Taken together, our results provide important scientific information for understanding the mechanism for glucose and fructose utilization and improving hypoxia tolerance in fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stagnating capture fisheries and increasing fish protein demand necessitate aquaculture production to bridge the gap. Lake Victoria is a potential water body for increasing fish production through cage farming. The sustainability of Lake Victoria for cage farming depends on timely and holistic site selection. However, current site selection methods involve complex, resource‐intensive field surveys that lack a holistic approach to integrate multiple factors. Accordingly, information regarding suitable sites for sustainable fish cage farming in Lake Victoria remains scarce. In this study, a transparent geographic information systems (GIS) and multicriteria evaluation (MCE) here after reffered to as GIS‐MCE was used to reveal potential sites to be permitted or avoided during cage aquaculture development in the Mwanza Gulf of Lake Victoria (Tanzania). Our analysis involved weighting and integration of sub‐models representing ecologically sensitive areas, physical environment, and socio‐economic and water quality variables into a single spatial model portraying different site suitability levels in the Mwanza Gulf. The results indicated that the sub‐models identified relatively larger suitable and most suitable sites compared to the overall model. No site maintained its status across all sub‐models. The overall model designated a small area (5.10 km2 or 1.52%) as the most suitable site, with 24.20 km2 (7.44%) as suitable, 64.47 km2 (19.82%) as less suitable, and 42.63 km2 (13.12%) as unsuitable for cage fish farming. The remaining area (188.84 km2 or 58.06%) was a constrained site to be avoided during cage aquaculture development. Taken together, the individual sub‐models are ineffective in designating potential sites for fish cage culture and thus should not be used solely. The GIS‐MCE general model provides a fast and timely method for identifying potential sites for cage farming in Lake Victoria. Fish farmers and managers should use the GIS‐MCE overall model in inland waters to facilitate site selection for complying with licensing requirements and decrease field extensive surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish feeding habit determines the digestive tract structure and intestinal microflora. However, the relationship between feeding habit, digestive intestinal morphology, and microbial diversity of omnivorous, herbivorous, plankton feeder, and carnivorous fish from the same environment has not been compared. This study compared the digestive enzyme activities, intestinal morphology, and intestinal microflora of omnivorous (Carassius auratus), herbivorous (Ctenopharyngodon idellus), carnivorous (Siniperca chuatsi), and plankton feeder (Schizothorax grahami) fishes and predicted the potential functions of specific microflora on different nutrients. Twelve intestine samples were collected from each of the four fishes from Dianchi Lake. The composition and diversity of microbial communities were determined by using high‐throughput sequencing of 16S rDNA. The results showed that the carnivorous fish (S. chuatsi) had higher trypsin and pancrelipase activities in the hepatopancreas and enteropeptidase in the intestine, but lower amylase activities in the intestine. The carnivorous fish intestine had more microvilli branches and complex structures than other fish species in the order carnivorous > herbivorous > plankton feeder > omnivorous. The intestinal microflora diversity was higher in the omnivorous fish and followed the order omnivorous > herbivorous > plankton feeder > carnivorous. Acinetobacter species and Bacteroides species were the most dominant flora in the carnivorous and herbivorous fishes, respectively. Acinetobacter species and Pseudomonas species might help the host to digest protein, while Bacteroidetes species may help the host to digest cellulose. Taken together, feeding habit determines the digestive enzyme activities, intestinal tissue morphology, and differential colonization of fish intestinal flora. The knowledge obtained is useful in feed formulation and feeding practices for the studied fish species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoxia is a common environmental stress factor in aquatic organisms, which varies among fish species. However, the mechanisms underlying the ability of fish species to tolerate hypoxia are not well known. Here, we showed that hypoxia response in different fish species was affected by lipid catabolism and preference for lipid or carbohydrate energy sources. Activation of biochemical lipid catabolism through peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (Pparα) or increasing mitochondrial fat oxidation in tilapia decreased tolerance to acute hypoxia by increasing oxygen consumption and oxidative damage and reducing carbohydrate catabolism as an energy source. Conversely, lipid catabolism inhibition by suppressing entry of lipids into mitochondria in tilapia or individually knocking out three key genes of lipid catabolism in zebrafish increased tolerance to acute hypoxia by decreasing oxygen consumption and oxidative damage and promoting carbohydrate catabolism. However, anaerobic glycolysis suppression eliminated lipid catabolism inhibition-promoted hypoxia tolerance in adipose triglyceride lipase (atgl) mutant zebrafish. Using 14 fish species with different trophic levels and taxonomic status, the fish preferentially using lipids for energy were more intolerant to acute hypoxia than those preferentially using carbohydrates. Our study shows that hypoxia tolerance in fish depends on catabolic preference for lipids or carbohydrates, which can be modified by regulating lipid catabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia is one of the common stress factors in aquaculture. However, the effect of chronic ammonia exposure in juvenile oriental river prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense) is currently unexplored. This study explored the effects of chronic ammonia on juvenile healthy oriental river prawns. Fifty prawns (0.123 ± 0.003 g) were exposed to 0, 5, and 15 mg/L total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) in triplicates for 28 days. The effects of chronic ammonia challenge were evaluated on growth, antioxidant capacity, hepatopancreas and gill morphology, and glucose and ammonia metabolism. The results showed that, the chronic ammonia exposure reduced significantly survival rate and weight gain of prawns. The prawns exposed to 15 mg/L ammonia had induced oxidative stress. However, the prawn exposed to 15 mg/L ammonia had significantly lower aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and acid phosphatase activities in the serum. Furthermore, exposure of prawns to 15 mg/L ammonia increased the activities of hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, pyruvate and lactic acid content, and glutamine synthase activity. However, the prawns exposed to 15 mg/L ammonia, reduced succinic dehydrogenase, 6‐phosphogluconic dehydrogenase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, glutamate synthase, and glutamate dehydrogenase activities but increased ammonia content in serum. The exposure of ammonia deformed lumen, damaged basement membrane and decreased secretory cells in the hepatopancreas, disordered gill epithelial and pillar cells, and caused gill filament base vacuolation. Our study indicates that chronic ammonia stress impairs growth performance, tissue morphology, induces oxidative stress, and alters glucose and ammonia metabolism in juvenile oriental river prawns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the presence of aflatoxin B1 in five different animal feeds collected from manufacturers, suppliers and consumers and its possible reduction by heating at 100°C for 180 min. A total of 160 animal feed samples were collected and analyzed by using lateral flow immunoassay method. The results revealed that all animal feeds analyzed were positive for aflatoxin B1 with 91% samples containing high concentrations ranging from 24.00 to 76.23 ng/g above the international allowable standard for animal feeds (20 ng/g). Maize bran (76 ng/g) and sunflower cake (63 ng/g) had higher aflatoxin B1 concentrations, correlating with higher moisture content. Upon heating the feeds, aflatoxin B1 was reduced to a concentration ranging from 2.24 to 9.78 ng/g (<20 ng/g). Our study suggests high potential health problems to animals and humans from aflatoxins requiring proper heating and frequent monitoring of the animal feeds for aflatoxin B1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arginine (Arg) is an important essential amino acid required for optimum fish growth. However, its role in plant‐rich diets on growth and the required level in juvenile Hemibagrus wyckioides are currently unknown. This study evaluated the effects of Arg supplementation in plant‐rich diets on growth, feed utilization, whole body composition, blood biochemical indicators and gene expressions of the target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling pathway in juvenile H. wyckioides. A total of 450 fish (6.40 ± 0.06 g) were randomized into six equal groups and fed on diets with graded Arg levels: 0 (control), 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 g/kg of dry feed for eight weeks. The results revealed that specific growth rate (SGR) and feed conversion ratio of juvenile H. wyckioides were significantly improved and reduced, respectively in fish fed on 9 g/kg of Arg supplementation (p <.05). The optimum amount of dietary Arg content in plant‐rich diets for H. wyckioides was 63.77 g/kg diet based on SGR. Feeding fish with dietary Arg supplementation ranging from 9 to 12 g/kg improved significantly (p <.05) whole body protein contents and decreased lipid deposition. The mRNA levels of TOR, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (4EBP) and ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) in muscle and liver were significantly affected by increasing dietary Arg levels. Meanwhile, the mRNA relative expression levels of TOR and S6K1 in the liver and muscle increased significantly as Arg supplementation increased. On the other hand, the mRNA relative expression levels of 4EBP was significantly higher in fish fed on the 9 g/kg Arg diet compared to those fed on the control and 15 g/kg Arg diets. In conclusion, our current results indicate that dietary Arg supplementation in plant‐rich diets, might activate the TOR signaling pathway, which promotes protein synthesis and reduces lipid accumulation of H. wyckioides, resulting in improved growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]