title: Immersion in bovine insulin stimulates growth of tilapia.
abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of bovine insulin on growth responses in tilapia. Juvenile hybrid male tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus x O aurea; n = 135) were subjected to 1 of 3 treatments. Each treatment was subdivided into 3 replicates of 15 fish each. The fish were immersed into 1 of 2 doses (10 and 100 micrograms/100 ml water) of insulin or no hormone for 15 min per week for 8 weeks. Body weight, growth and feed conversion efficiency were significantly higher as a result of the first 4 weeks of insulin treatment as compared to control fish. The lower dose of insulin had a better stimulation effect than that of the higher doses. Insulin also stimulated feed consumption. Liver protein and protein/DNA ratio were higher in both insulin-treated groups than in the control group. Muscle proximate composition and hepatosomatic index were similar in the insulin-treated and control groups. The experimental findings suggest that insulin administered by immersion can enhance growth, feed consumption, food utilization and liver cell size in tilapia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Aquaculture, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Republic of China.
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007101:Immersion; D007328:Insulin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017210:Tilapia / Q000254:growth & development*; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D011506:Proteins; D004247:DNA