Spain.- Researchers of CIIMAR (Centro Interdisciplinar De Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Portugal), ALGAPLUS Lda (Ílhavo, Portugal) and IATS Nutrigenomics group have reported the positive effects of 5% dietary supplementation of an aqueous extract of the seaweed Gracilaria sp on sea bass antioxidant capacity and resistance against a bacterial infection.
The study revealed that fish fed the Gracilaria extract showed a delay in mortality after infection with Photobacterium damselae. This beneficial effect was supported by plasma biochemical analysis, liver enzymatic assays and tissue gene expression data that pointed out an up-regulation of immune and antioxidant related pathways in fish fed the dietary supplement.
This work was partially funded by the IMPROV-SEABASS Transnational Access of AQUAEXCEL2020 project at IATS-CSIC facilities.
This study has been published in the Open Access journal Scientific Reports.
Reference (open):
Peixoto, M.J., Ferraz, R., Magnoni, L.J. et al. Protective effects of seaweed supplemented diet on antioxidant and immune responses in European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) subjected to bacterial infection. Sci Rep 9, 16134 (2019) doi:10.1038/s41598-019-52693-6 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-52693-6
Source: IATS
