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Sturgeons are facing critical endangerment due to overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution and climate change. Their roe, highly prized as caviar, has driven the overexploitation, severely depleting wild populations. In recent years sturgeon aquaculture has experienced significant growth, primarily aimed at providing high-quality caviar and secondarily meat. This sector generates significant quantities of by-products, which are mainly treated as waste, being mostly discarded, impacting the environment, even though they are a source of bioactive molecules and potential applications in various sectors. This article presents a review of the proximate composition and nutritional value of sturgeon caviar and meat, also exploring the potential of the by-products, with an emphasis on the processing of these components, the chemical composition and the functional and bioactive properties. Although sturgeon caviar, meat, and by-products are highly valuable both nutritionally and economically, adopting sustainable practices and innovative approaches is crucial to ensuring the industry’s future growth and maintaining ecological balance. Despite some limitations, like the deficient standardization of the methods for extracting and processing, sturgeon by-products have a tremendous potential to increase the overall value of sturgeon aquaculture and to promote a zero-waste approach, contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015.

In Romania, sturgeon farming is gaining advance, different species being raised for commercial purposes and for restocking activities. A correct identification of individuals is imposed since severe ecological damages might occur if non-native species or hybrids are used for restocking. Such identification is required also for commercial reasons, the meat and caviar from different species having different prices. The aim of our study was to analyze two sturgeon species, Huso huso and Acipenser ruthenus and their interspecific hybrid - bester, using nuclear markers, in order to set up a molecular method for their accurate identification. The genetic pattern of the species was inferred from the analysis of nine microsatellite loci (LS19, LS34, LS39, LS54, AoxD234, AnacC11, LS68, Aox45 and Aox27) amplified by multiplex PCR reactions. The genotype data were analyzed with GENETIX v4.05 and STRUCTURE. The FCA analysis grouped the individuals in three distinct clusters corresponding to each of the pure species and to the interspecific hybrids. The admixture analysis performed in STRUCTURE also assigned three groups, confirming the results highlighted by FCA. We can conclude that the selected microsatellite markers allow the unambiguously identification of the bester hybrid and its genitor species from Romanian farms.

Salmonids are members of the Salmonidae family which includes the subfamily Coregoninae, subfamily Thymallinae and subfamily Salmoninae. This family includes fish of interest for aquaculture and sport fishing. The salmonids from the natural environment on Romanian territory are Salmo trutta fario, Salmo labrax, Salvelinus fontinalis fontinalis, Hucho hucho, and Thymallus thymallus. Gene flow from fishery populations to those in the natural habitat may create substantial problems to natural species which leads to a reduction of inherited genetic diversity and of environment adjustment due to a loss of natural capacity to adapt. Due their characteristics, microsatellites prove themselves usefull in population genetics studies. Aim of our study is to evaluate the genetic diversity of two populations of brown trout from Făgăraş Mountains using nuclear markers. For this purpose we analyzed the polymorphism of nine microsatellite loci (BS131, Str60, Str73, Str15, Str543, OmyFGT, Ssa85, Ssa197, Strutta12) in two brown trout population from Făgăraş Mountains. We successfully amplified all microsatellite loci obtaining allele peaks of different sizes. The number of allele ranged beetwen 1 (Str73) and 26 (OmyFGT). The analyzed trout populations show a relatively high degree of genetic diversity, being also characterized by a low level of inbreeding among individuals. This technology has great potential for investigating the genetic diversity of the wild population and, also, might be extended to aquaculture studies.

The Danube salmon or huchen (Hucho hucho, Linnaeus, 1758) is an endemic species in the Danube basin, being almost extinct in particular because of anthropogenic activities. The huchen has a special status throughout Europe, being listed on Appendix III of the Bern Convention and on Annexes II and V of the EU Habitat Directive and is a protected species in Romania. Molecular methods that use nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers are recommended in order to contribute for a better management of aquaculture activities and also to improve the measures for conservation of endangered species such huchen. Our study aims to evaluate several DNA-based methods for species identification of Hucho hucho from the wild and aquaculture. We proposed two methods focused on the mitochondrial genome (DNA barcoding and PCR-RFLP), and one on the nuclear markers (genotyping). Methods that analyse the mitochondrial genome are focused on the COI gene and D-loop/Cytb regions, while those that analyse nuclear markers are focused on microsatellites. All three methods were tested on 10 huchen individuals from wild and aquaculture. Therefore, techniques such as PCR-RFLP, sequencing and genotyping gave results that were easily interpretable and could be recommended as powerful species detection methods with applicability in aquaculture and for restocking purposes.

The Salmonidae fish family is well represented in Romanian fauna, with a total of six species in the wild and reared in fish farms. Among them, the brown trout (Salmo trutta fario) can be found in all major Romanian river basins. However, anthropogenic activities might disrupt salmonids’ habitats, so that inbreeding and genetic isolation might easily occur in the wild populations. We analyzed two wild brown trout populations from rivers targeted by anthropogenic activities, by using nuclear markers and genotyping in order to observe their genetic structure. We analyzed nine microsatellites and we observed their alleles frequencies, number of private alleles, observed and expected heterozygosity, as well as their population structure. The two populations are not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for most of the loci and the inbreeding coefficient for both populations suggests a heterozygote deficit. Further sequencing data are needed in order to have a better view upon their complete genetic structure

The molecular-genetic profiles from the determinant locus of scrapie have been described in the Botosani Karakul breed. Sheep belonged to two farm types: elite farm from Research and Development Station for Sheep and Goat Breeding, Popauti-Botosani and several private production farms. The two farm types differ between them by selective specificities; in the farm elite the selection pressure is stronger and the selection criteria applied to sheep have been more accuracy than in the production farms. Sheep genotyping at the PrP locus was achieved by the Real-Time PCR method. By framing the individuals in risk classes concerning the prion disease, there were identified significant differences between the two farm types in terms of resistance or susceptibility to scrapie of sheep. The elite farm population is significantly advantaged as regards the molecular-genetic endowment at the PrP locus and low probability converting of the PrPc normal protein in the PrPSc pathogenic isomorph compared to the population of production farms. The reasons for the different associations of prion genotypes with morbid phenomenon intensity in the two farm types must be sought exclusively in the characteristics of selection systems applied to the animals in each farm type. From the standpoint of informational statistics, there is a high degree of genetic similarity at the PrP locus between the two populations. Contrary to expectations, the genetic diversity of prion structures is more developed in the elite farm than in the production farms. The knowing importance of prion profiles was revealed in pursuit of genetic and veterinary prophylaxis of the sheep populations.

The Acipenseridae family includes sturgeon species that have the ability to easily generate interspecies hybrids in both natural and aquaculture conditions. For the differentiation between hybrids and pure species, mitochondrial markers have been used, but they have not proven effective. Nuclear markers, such as the RP1S7 marker, encoding the S7 ribosomal protein, show to be more effective in achieving this differentiation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the capacity of this nuclear marker in discriminating between pure sturgeon species and their interspecies hybrids. DNA samples were isolated from fin fragments. The RP1S7 marker was amplified by PCR and the obtained amplicons were analysed by agarose gel electrophoresis and sequencing. In order to determine the accuracy of the primers and to validate this marker, the sequences were compared with similar ones from GenBank. The resulting electrophoretic profiles showed differences that can be used to distinguish between pure sturgeon species and their interspecies hybrids. Therefore, the RP1S7 marker can be included in a panel of DNA markers for molecular identification of sturgeon species and their hybrids.

Sturgeons are highly valuable species from both a conservation and economic point of view. Their very sought-after caviar extracted from mature females has both a rich culture around it and opens the way for interesting research. Because of the advanced age at which females and males could be identified in aquaculture it is important to develop a set of molecular markers that could make the distinction easy. For this, a better understanding of the sexual development of sturgeons is necessary. We selected the Dmrt1 (doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor 1) and the Cyp17a1 (17α-hydroxylase) markers with the scope of investigating the gonad development of sturgeon individuals. Both markers appear to be expressed in the gonad but no statistically significant difference in expression is observed between females and males. This could mean that the markers are equally involved in female and male sexual development at the stage of sampling. This study paves the way for a better understanding of sturgeon sexual development.

Huchen or Danube salmon (Hucho hucho, Linnaeus, 1758) is an economically and ecologically valuable salmonid species, among the most endangered fish species inhabiting the Danube basin. Consequently, appropriate conservation measures are required to prevent the species extinction. Although H. hucho is a poorly studied species, there are several studies on other salmonid species regarding fast growth markers. Following these studies, the main purpose of the current study was to determine growth-related SNPs in myostatin gene in H. hucho. Therefore, we analysed 20 aquaculture individuals of same age separated in two groups according length and weight, by sequencing the amplification product of SaMSTNb23 and SaMSTNb33 primers pairs. We also statistically analysed the differences in the development of individuals over time regarding total length, weight and head length. Significantly variations were observed (p < 0.001) for the measured traits in both groups. Regarding the genetic analysis, we observed nine SNPs in the mstn gene structure. Considering these results, it appears that the analysed markers are not appropriate for genetic analysis of growth traits in H. hucho. To extend gene expression pattern analysis, other markers are recommended for further evaluation.

DNA barcoding aims to be an effective tool for species identification based on partial sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene (CO I). The method offers several advantages like small amount of biological samples needed, applicability for all life stages and differentiation among phenotypically alike species. Our study aimed at barcoding economically and ecologically important salmonids. The sequences were determined by using specific primers when the so-call universal primers failed to give amplifications. The sequences were BLAST with GenBank and BOLD databases for species identity confirmation. With one exception, the results of barcoding were congruent with the ones based on morphology in the cases when this last type of diagnostic was done. The method can be regular carried out for species identification, but is totally inefficient when is dealing with hybrids and should be avoided for species that can naturally hybridize.

The increasingly use of genetic markers in artificial selection shows to be a successful strategy for the animal production systems, the outcome of applying such methods being a higher animal productivity and better quality of the products. The aim of our study was to analyse the polymorphism of β-lactoglobulin and α-s1-casein loci in a population of Racka sheep from Romania. In order to identify the specific alleles we used the PCR-RFLP technique. It is known that the different genotypes observed at these loci are correlated to milk quality, either in terms of the composition, or in terms of the technological properties. We identified three genotypes (AA, BB and AB), at β-lactoglobulin locus, while at α-s1-casein locus, all the analysed animals had nonA homozygous genotype. These molecular markers are useful for the characterisation of the sheep breeds, and their genotyping can contribute to a high quality artificial selection.

Most sturgeon species today are on the brink of extinction because of anthropogenic influences, but in the same time, the economical interest regarding these species was constantly increasing, especially because the great value of the roe. In order to satisfy the increasingly high-demand sturgeon farms began developing in the last decades and are nowadays the main producers of caviar and other sturgeon products. Due their characteristics (high polymorphism, high power of discrimination, codominant Mendelian inheritance), microsatellites prove themselves very usefull in population genetics studies. In our study we analyzed the cross-amplification and the polymorphism of seven microsatellite loci (LS-19, LS-54, LS-57, LS-68, Aox9, Aox23, and Aox45) in Acipenser gueldenstaedtii population from aquaculture. The microsatellite markers were originally designed for the American lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens and Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus. We successfully amplified all microsatellite loci obtaining allele peaks of different sizes which were analyzed by capilary electrophoresis. The number of allele ranged beetwen 4 (Aox23) and 12 (LS-54). This technology has great potential for investigating the genetic diversity of the wild sturgeons’ population and, also, might be extended to aquaculture studies aiming the monitoring of genetic variation in comercial breeding programs.

The beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) represents an anadroumus species native to the Ponto-Caspian region, which has been severely affected by anthropic intervention. To take appropriate conservation measures for the wild population of Huso huso from the North-Western of the Black Sea that is reproducing in the Lower Danube is necessary to infer the genetic diversity and the structure of population by using DNA markers. The current study represents a preliminary attempt to evaluate the genetic diversity of beluga population by using microsatellites markers. Seven microsatellite loci (LS19, LS34, LS39, LS54, AoxD234, AnacE4, AnacC11) were analyzed and the obtained genotypic data were used to calculate the estimated heterozigosity (HE) and observed heterozigosity (HO) with Genetix Software. The Hardy-Weinberg was tested using GenePop Software. The average value of HO is 0.4760±0.2989, while the HE is 0.6049±0.2843. With the exception of LS19 and LS39, the other loci showed departures from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The deviation from the expected values might be the consequence of reduced population, inbreeding or the presence of null alleles that might cause a false excess of homozygous. Our preliminary results pointed out reduced level of genetic variation and might be first indication about the fragile status of this population.

Salmonids are a heterogeneous group of fish classified in one family – Salmonidae. These species are natives of the northern hemisphere, but currently have been introduced in many countries all over the world for sport fishing and aquaculture. Despite the considerable importance of salmonids, their evolutive history is still a controversial issue. The aim of the current study is to infer the phylogeny within the Salmonidae family using as phylogenetic marker the D-loop region. For this purpose, an PCR amplification of D-loop region, followed by direct sequencing and phylogenetic analysis have been performed in four salmonids species from Romanian fauna - Salmo trutta fario, Salvelinus fontinalis, Thymallus thymallus and Oncorhynchus mykiss. For a more accurate phylogenetic classification of these species within Salmonidae family the analysis included similar sequences from GenBank belonging to 17 salmonid species and an osmerid species used as outgroup. The the phylogenetic trees illustrating the evolutive relationships within Salmonidae were constructed by using Neighbor Joining and Maximum Parsimony methodologies implemented in MEGA5.The phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial control region as marker has allowed an overview about the positions occupied by Romanian salmonids within the Salmonidae family.

Fourteen lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains were isolated from the intestinal tract and feces of piglets. Among these isolates, only twelve were biochemically (API 50 CHL and ABIS online for bacterial identification) and genetically (16S rRNA sequencing) confirmed as Limosilactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum. Experiments to evaluate the probiotic potential of the isolates including pH tolerance (pH 2.0 and 3.0), bile salts (0.3% ox gall) resistance, hemolysis activity, antibiotic susceptibility, and high-temperature resistance were tested. Only two isolates from identified strains exhibited high survival rates when exposed to low pH and bile salts, these were L. acidophilus IBNA 76 and L. plantarum IBNA 84. The antibiotic test presented 100% resistance of both strains to gentamicin, kanamycin, lincomycin, colistin sulfate, erythromycin, amikacin, oxytetracycline, enrofloxacin, streptomycin, and tilmicosin, lower than the 0.6 mm inhibition zone diameter. Promising isolates (L. acidophilus IBNA 76 and L. plantarum IBNA 84) were exposed to the spray-drying technique based on visible probiotic potential and survival rates. Carrier matrix material was used as a maltodextrin-glucose solution. The encapsulation probiotic isolated survived both over 67% and 77%, corresponding to a decrease in strain viability from 109 to 107 CFU/g. After further in vitro evaluations, the findings of this study showed that, from all LAB strains, L. acidophilus IBNA 76 and L. plantarum IBNA 84 may be considered probiotic candidates for animal nutrition and may have promising performance in piglet feed due to their origin of isolation.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most frequently diagnosed type of cancer and a major worldwide public health concern. Despite the global efforts in the development of modern therapeutic strategies, CRC prognosis is strongly correlated with the stage of the disease at diagnosis. Early detection of CRC has a huge impact in decreasing mortality while pre-lesion detection significantly reduces the incidence of the pathology. Even though the management of CRC patients is based on robust diagnostic methods such as serum tumor markers analysis, colonoscopy, histopathological analysis of tumor tissue, and imaging methods (computer tomography or magnetic resonance), these strategies still have many limitations and do not fully satisfy clinical needs due to their lack of sensitivity and/or specificity. Therefore, improvements of the current practice would substantially impact the management of CRC patients. In this view, liquid biopsy is a promising approach that could help clinicians screen for disease, stratify patients to the best treatment, and monitor treatment response and resistance mechanisms in the tumor in a regular and minimally invasive manner. Liquid biopsies allow the detection and analysis of different tumor-derived circulating markers such as cell-free nucleic acids (cfNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the bloodstream. The major advantage of this approach is its ability to trace and monitor the molecular profile of the patient’s tumor and to predict personalized treatment in real-time. On the other hand, the prospective use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine holds great promise in oncology, for the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis prediction of disease. AI has two main branches in the medical field: (i) a virtual branch that includes medical imaging, clinical assisted diagnosis, and treatment, as well as drug research, and (ii) a physical branch that includes surgical robots. This review summarizes findings relevant to liquid biopsy and AI in CRC for better management and stratification of CRC patients.

Feeding farm animals with aflatoxin-contaminated feed can cause various severe toxic effects, leading to increased susceptibility to infectious diseases and increased mortality, weight loss, poor performance and reduced reproductive capability. Following ingestion of contaminated foodstuffs, aflatoxins are metabolized and biotransformed differently in animals. Swine metabolism is not effective in detoxifying and excreting aflatoxins, meaning the risk of aflatoxicosis is increased. Thus, it is of great importance to elucidate the metabolism and all metabolic pathways associated with this mycotoxin. The damage induced by AFB1 in cells and tissues consists of inhibition of cell proliferation, carcinogenicity, immunosuppression, mutagenicity, oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation and DNA damage, leading to pathological lesions in the liver, spleen, lymph node, kidney, uterus, heart, and lungs of swine. At present, it is a challenging task and of serious concern to completely remove aflatoxins and their metabolites from feedstuff; thus, the aim of this study was a literature review on the deleterious effects of aflatoxins on swine metabolism, as well as alternatives that contribute to the detoxification or amelioration of aflatoxin-induced effects in farm animal feed.

The sturgeons (order Acipenseriformes) are caviar producers and some of the most valuable fish species worldwide. Due to different reasons, wild populations are now at the brink of extinction. The high demand for caviar has led to the development of aquaculture for restocking and caviar production. Since the caviar from different species has different prices depending on the quality and attempts of commercial fraud based on species substitution have been found, correct species identification is more than necessary. We report a new multistep methodology for an accurate species identification based on both nuclear and mitochondrial markers. Our test integrates data from the analysis of microsatellites (Afu19, Afu34, Afu39, Afu54, Aox27, AoxD234, AnacC11 and AnacE4), nuclear gene markers (RPS7, vimentin and rhodopsin) and mtDNA barcoding to give a reliable molecular diagnostic for five sturgeon species (Huso huso, Acipenser stellatus, Acipenser ruthenus, Acipenser gueldenstaedtii and Acipenser baerii). In addition to species identification, our methodology allows the identification of bester, sterbe and best beluga hybrids, but also the identification of hybrids of unknown origin. This methodology has a good potential to contribute to the conservation of highly threatened sturgeon populations and also to the traceability of their products.

A total of 15 strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from the broiler chicken’s gastrointestinal tract. All isolates were phenotypical and genetically identified. Among these isolates, only six were biochemical (API 50 CHL and ABIS soft) and genetically (16S rRNA sequencing) confirmed as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Limosilactobacillus fermentum, Levilactobacillus brevis, and Ligilactobacillus salivarius. Probiotic properties, including tolerance to pH (pH 2.0 and 3.0), bile salts (0.3% oxgall), hemolysis activity, and antibiotic susceptibility, were evaluated. Three isolates of the latter isolates showed high resistance at low pH values (73.74% to 98.20%) and bile salt concentrations (77.89% to 99.49%). The antibiotic test presented 100% resistance of LAB to gentamicin, lincomycin, enrofloxacin, and streptomycin lower than the 0.5 mm inhibition zone diameter. Selected strains (L. acidophilus IBNA 64, L. salivarius IBNA 33, and L. salivarius IBNA 41) were exposed to the spray-drying process based on observable probiotic potential. A maltodextrin-glucose solution was used as a thermoprotectant. After spray drying, a reduction in strain viability was noted (108 to 104 CFU/g). In conclusion, only L. salivarius (IBNA 33 and IBNA 41) could be used as a possible probiotic, and further studies are needed to ensure their safe application in the animal nutrition field with beneficial effects for improving performance and pathogen microorganism control from intestines equilibrating the microbiota composition.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the combined effects of aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A on protein expression and catalytic activities of CYP1A2, CYP2E1, CYP3A29 and GSTA1 and the preventive effect of dietary byproduct antioxidants administration against these mycotoxin damage. Three experimental groups (E1, E2, E3) and one control group (C) of piglets after weaning (TOPIGS-40 hybrid) were fed with experimental diets for 30 days. A basal diet containing normal compound feed for starter piglets was used as a control treatment and free of mycotoxin. The experimental groups were fed as follows: E1—basal diet plus a mixture (1:1) of two byproducts (grapeseed and sea buckthorn meal), E2—the basal diet experimentally contaminated with mycotoxins (479 ppb OTA and 62ppb AFB1) and E3—basal diet containing 5% of the mixture (1:1) of grapeseed and sea buckthorn meal and contaminated with the mix of OTA and AFB1. After 4 weeks, the animals were slaughtered, and tissue samples were taken from liver and kidney in order to perform microsomal fraction isolation, followed by protein expression and enzymatic analyses. The protein expressions of CYP2E1 and CYP3A29 were up-regulated in an insignificant manner in liver, whereas in kidney, those of CYP1A2, CYP2E1 and CYP3A29 were down-regulated. The enzymatic activities of CYP1A2, CYP2E1 and CYP3A29 decreased in liver, in a significant manner, whereas in kidney, these increased significantly. The co-presence of the two mycotoxins and the mixture of grape seed and sea buckthorn meal generated a tendency to return to the control values, which suggest that grapeseed and sea buckthorn meal waste represent a promising source in counteracting the harmful effect of ochratoxin A and aflatoxin B.

The use of natural feed additives could be a beneficial approach to maintaining the health of chickens and a way to improve food digestion. Flaxseed is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acid, alpha linolenic acid, oleic acid, and fiber. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of 4% flaxseed on the intestinal morphology, specific enzymatic activity, and cecal microbiome in broiler chickens. The 4-week feeding trial was conducted on 100 Cobb 500 (14 days of age) unsexed broiler chickens divided into two groups: a control group (C) and an experimental group (E). The broilers were housed in boxes of size 3 m2 (each group was housed in a single box with 10 replicates, 5 chickens per replicate) and reared on permanent wood shaves litter (10–12 cm thick). At the end of the experiment, chickens (n = 10) were sacrificed and tissue samples were harvested from the duodenum, jejunum, and cecum for histological, enzymatic, and microbiome analyses. In group E, histological analysis revealed a significant increase in villus height (p < 0.001) possibly leading to enhanced intestinal nutrient absorption. An increase in the specific activities of α-amylase (p < 0.05), invertase (p < 0.01), and endo-β-1,4-glucanase (p < 0.001) was noticed in the E group for the duodenum and jejunum compared to the control group. In contrast, maltase activity decreased in the duodenum and increased in the jejunum in the E group. The trypsin and lipase specific activities did not vary in a significant way. In addition, the cecal microbiome of the E group was characterized by an increase in Lactobacilli (p < 0.01) and Clostridium coccoides and a decrease in Bacteroides, Ruminoccocus, Enterobacteriaceae, and Clostridium leptum. In conclusion, our results suggest that dietary supplementation of flaxseed meal may boost intestinal health status in poultry.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of a byproduct mixture derived from grapeseed and sea buckthorn oil industry to mitigate the harmful damage produced by ochratoxin A and aflatoxin B1 at hepatic and renal level in piglets after weaning. Forty cross-bred TOPIGS-40 hybrid piglets after weaning were assigned to three experimental groups (E1, E2, E3) and one control group (C), and fed with experimental diets for 30 days. The basal diet was served as a control and contained normal compound feed for starter piglets without mycotoxins. The experimental groups were fed as follows: E1—basal diet plus a mixture (1:1) of two byproducts (grapeseed and sea buckthorn meal); E2—the basal diet experimentally contaminated with mycotoxins (479 ppb OTA and 62ppb AFB1); and E3—basal diet containing 5% of the mixture (1:1) of grapeseed and sea buckthorn meal and contaminated with the mix of OTA and AFB1. After 4 weeks, the animals were slaughtered, and tissue samples were taken from liver and kidney in order to perform gene expression and histological analysis. The gene expression analysis showed that when weaned piglets were fed with contaminated diet, the expression of most analyzed genes was downregulated. Among the CYP450 family, CYP1A2 was the gene with the highest downregulation. According to these results, in liver, we found that mycotoxins induced histomorphological alterations in liver and kidney and had an effect on the expression level of CYP1A2, CYP2A19, CYP2E1, and CYP3A29, but we did not detect important changes in the expression level of CY4A24, MRP2 and GSTA1 genes.

Acipenser stellatus is a critically endangered species due to the anthropic influence. It has been intensively captured for decades because of its high economic value, its roe being used in the caviar industry. Therefore, Acipenser stellatus is intensively raised in fish farms for both conservation and economical purposes. Aquaculture aims to optimize the feeding regime of juveniles in order to improve its profitability. The purpose of this study was to investigate if Acipenser stellatus can adapt to a starvation/refeeding regime by assessing the effects of this regime on oxidative stress biomarkers and antioxidant defense mechanisms in juveniles raised under aquaculture conditions. The juveniles were subjected to two regimes: a 7-day starvation period followed by 21 days of refeeding, respectively a 14-day starvation period followed by 21 days of refeeding. The results showed that both starvation/refeeding regimes induced an enhancement of antioxidant enzymes activities in the intestine of the juveniles. The oxidative damage was counteracted at the protein level. However, lipid peroxidation was significantly induced in the intestine of the juveniles subjected to 14/21-day starvation/refeeding regime. The 7/21-day starvation/refeeding regime proved to be more suitable for Acipenser stellatus and therefore, it could be useful to optimize the feeding practice in aquaculture production.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of dietary inclusion of two additives at the final concentration of 0.5% bilberry (E1) and 1% walnut (E2) leaves powder in the basal diet on digestive health of hens. A total number of 90 Tetra SL hens were divided into two experimental groups (E1 and E2) and one control group (C) consisting of 30 hens each. After four weeks, 10 hens of each group were sacrificed and tissue samples and intestinal content were taken from the duodenum, jejunum, and cecum in order to perform histological, enzymatic, and microbiota analyses. In groups E1 and E2, the histological analysis showed a significant increase of villus height, resulting probably in increased absorption of nutrients in duodenum and jejunum. A decrease in the specific activity of alpha-amylase and trypsin in E1 and E2 for both duodenum and jejunum compared to the control one was also recorded. In addition, the maltase and invertase specific activity in duodenum increased, a tendency that was kept for maltase but not for invertase in jejunum. The cecal microbiota of E1 and E2 individuals was characterized by an increase of Firmicutes and Lactobacilli and a decrease of Enterobacteriaceae. In conclusion, our results indicate that bilberry and walnut leaves additives in feed may improve the health status of the poultry gastrointestinal tract.

Nowadays, in sturgeon’s aquaculture, there is a necessity for sex identification at early stages in order to increase the efficiency of this commercial activity. The basis for a correct identification is studying the different factors that influence the gonad development. The research has been directed towards molecular methods that have been employed with various degrees of success in identifying genes with different expression patterns between male and female sturgeons during their development stages. For the purpose of understanding the sexual development of 4-year-old stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus) individuals, we have selected six genes (foxl2, cyp17a1, ar, dmrt1, sox9, and star). We analysed the gene expression of the selected genes for gonads, anal fin, liver, body kidney, and white muscle. The cyp17a1, ar, dmrt1, and sox9 genes have a significant higher expression in male gonads than in female gonads, while the data shows no significant differences in the expression of the investigated genes in the other organs. We investigate these genes to shed light on aquaculture sturgeon sexual development.

Sturgeons (Order Acipenseriformes) represent an extremely valuable natural resource that is now facing depletion. In the current study we evaluate if the traditional classification in subspecies of Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, Acipenser stellatus and Huso huso, endemic to Ponto-Caspian region is sustained by molecular analysis and if these represent Evolutionary Significant Units (ESUs) that should be managed separately in conservation programs. To examine the classification of taxonomic entities we sequenced a fragment of the mitochondrial control region in case of three sturgeon species that inhabit the North-western of Black Sea and migrate for reproduction in the Lower Danube. Beside these sequences, we used previously published sequences from sturgeon individuals sampled in the Black Sea, Azov Sea and Caspian Sea. We determined the genetic diversity and genetic differentiation, conducted a Population Aggregation Analysis (PAA) and inferred an intraspecific molecular phylogeny and haplotype network. The results indicated a low level of genetic differentiation between the geographically designated subspecies and did not support a significant divergence or reciprocal monophyly between them. Our results confirm previous genetic studies with smaller samples sizes, but additional analyses including nuclear markers should be conducted for proper recommendations aiming at the development of conservation programs.

Sturgeons are fish species with a complex biology. They are also characterized by complex aspects including polyploidization and easiness of hybridization. As with most of the Ponto-Caspian sturgeons, the populations of Acipenser ruthenus from the Danube have declined drastically during the last decades. This is the first report on mitochondrial point heteroplasmy in the cytochrome b gene of this species. The 1141 bp sequence of the cytb gene in wild sterlet sturgeon individuals from the Lower Danube was determined, and site heteroplasmy evidenced in three of the 30 specimens collected. Two nucleotide sequences were identified in these heteroplasmic individuals. The majority of the heteroplasmic sites are synonymous and do not modify the sequence of amino acids in cytochrome B protein. To date, several cases of point heteroplasmy have been reported in animals, mostly due to paternal leakage of mtDNA. The presence of specific point heteroplasmic sites might be interesting for a possible correlation with genetically distinct groups in the Danube River.