title: Effect of an homeopathic complex on fatty acids in muscle and performance of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The homeopathic complex HomeoAqua Mega 3(®) was designed to stimulate fish liver function resulting in enhanced lipid metabolism and improved overall performance. The effect of the complex in fatty acid compounds in the muscle tissues and the performance of Nile tilapia (O. niloticus) were evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  A control diet with 40 mL of alcohol solution (30° Gay Lussac (GL) alcohol) per kg of feed and another diet with 40 mL/kg of the homeopathic complex were analysed in sex-reversed juvenile male Nile tilapia with mean initial weights of 89.54 g (±7.97) and 89.74 g (±8.83) and initial total mean lengths of 16.93 cm (±0.56) and 16.85 cm (±0.56) for the control and homeopathy-treated fish, respectively. Overall, 200 fish were distributed into 10 water tanks, with 20 specimens in each 600 L tank, they were kept for 63 days. Monitoring of the water's physical and chemical parameters was performed. Additionally, the percentage chemical composition and the composition of the muscle tissue fatty acids were determined, and fish performance was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found between treatments with regard to the water's physical and chemical parameters, moisture, ashes, proteins of the Nile tilapia muscular tissue and mean rates of total weight and length of the animals in the final period of the assay. The total lipid (TL) rates of the tilapia muscle tissue were 1.133 ± 0.2% at the start (control and homeopathy) and 0.908 ± 0.14% (control) and 0.688 ± 0.14% (homeopathy) at the end of the experiment (p < 0.06). The sum total of the SFAs (saturated fatty acids) was 338.50 ± 0.15 at the start (control and homeopathy) and 271.49 ± 0.34 mg/g of the TLs for the control and 226.12 ± 0.77 mg/g of TL for the homeopathy at the end of the experiment (p < 0.05). The n-6/n-3 ratio was also lower for the homeopathy-treated fish (8.45 ± 0.40) compared with the control fish (9.60 ± 0.14), (p < 0.05) at the end of the 63-day period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nile tilapia juveniles that received the HomeoAqua Mega-3(®) in their diets had a decrease in the TL rates, mainly for the SFAs, and the n-6/n-3 ratio, compared with the control group, without any changes in the animal performance during the experimental period.
authors.affiliation: Post-graduate Program in Food Science, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil. Electronic address: aninhaandretto@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Andretto
authors.affiliation: Post-graduate Program in Food Science, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil. Electronic address: mariana.fuzinatto@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mariana Manfroi
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Fuzinatto
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil. Electronic address: g_bonafe@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Elton Guntendorfer
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Bonafe
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil. Electronic address: gracielabh@ibest.com.br.
authors.forename: Graciela Lucca
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Braccini
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil. Electronic address: moritsunami@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ricardo Hideo
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil. Electronic address: rpribeiro@uem.br.
authors.forename: Ricardo Ribeiro
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil. Electronic address: caloliveira@uem.br.
authors.forename: Carlos Antonio Lopes
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil. Electronic address: jvvisentainer@uem.br.
authors.forename: Jesuí Vergíilio
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Visentainer
authors.affiliation: Post-graduate Program in Food Science, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil. Electronic address: lvargas@onda.com.br.
authors.forename: Lauro
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vargas
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D023681:Cichlids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D006705:Homeopathy / Q000379:methods*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008419:Materia Medica / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D008419:Materia Medica; D028321:Plant Preparations
keywords: Aquaculture; Fatty acids; Homeopathy; Population homeopathy; Tilapia breeding; Total lipids