title: European Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) Immune Status and Disease Resistance Are Impaired by Arginine Dietary Supplementation.
abstract: Infectious diseases and fish feeds management are probably the major expenses in the aquaculture business. Hence, it is a priority to define sustainable strategies which simultaneously avoid therapeutic procedures and reinforce fish immunity. Currently, one preferred approach is the use of immunostimulants which can be supplemented to the fish diets. Arginine is a versatile amino acid with important mechanisms closely related to the immune response. Aiming at finding out how arginine affects the innate immune status or improve disease resistance of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) against vibriosis, fish were fed two arginine-supplemented diets (1% and 2% arginine supplementation). A third diet meeting arginine requirement level for seabass served as control diet. Following 15 or 29 days of feeding, fish were sampled for blood, spleen and gut to assess cell-mediated immune parameters and immune-related gene expression. At the same time, fish from each dietary group were challenged against Vibrio anguillarum and survival was monitored. Cell-mediated immune parameters such as the extracellular superoxide and nitric oxide decreased in fish fed arginine-supplemented diets. Interleukins and immune-cell marker transcripts were down-regulated by the highest supplementation level. Disease resistance data were in accordance with a generally depressed immune status, with increased susceptibility to vibriosis in fish fed arginine supplemented diets. Altogether, these results suggest a general inhibitory effect of arginine on the immune defences and disease resistance of European seabass. Still, further research will certainly clarify arginine immunomodulation pathways thereby allowing the validation of its potential as a prophylactic strategy.
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR), Universidade do Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123, Porto, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto (FCUP), 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Azeredo
authors.affiliation: Nutrigenomics and Fish Growth Endocrinology Group, Institute of Aquaculture Torre de la Sal, IATS-CSIC, 12595 Ribera de Cabanes, Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: Jaume
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pérez-Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Fish Pathology Group, Institute of Aquaculture Torre de la Sal, IATS-CSIC, 12595 Ribera de Cabanes, Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: Ariadna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sitjà-Bobadilla
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Valencia, Dr Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Belén
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fouz
authors.affiliation: Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Fisiologia Animal i Immunologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.
authors.forename: Lluis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tort
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciências do Mar, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, edf. 7, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Cláudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aragão
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR), Universidade do Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123, Porto, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto (FCUP), 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Aires
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oliva-Teles
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR), Universidade do Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Benjamín
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Costas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001119:Arginase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001120:Arginine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001492:Bass / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D060467:Disease Resistance; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D056724:Immunity, Humoral / Q000187:drug effects*; D007378:Interleukins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D013481:Superoxides / Q000378:metabolism; D014735:Vibrio Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D007378:Interleukins; D013481:Superoxides; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine; D001119:Arginase