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Benefits of thymol supplementation on performance, the hepatic antioxidant system, and energetic metabolism in grass carp

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Abstract

Thymol is an herbal food additive used to improve animal performance. Thymol acts via its potential to enhance productive and reproductive performance, and by improving bioavailability of nutrients in fish. Nevertheless, the exact mechanisms associated with these phenomena remain poorly understood, although recent evidence has suggested the involvement of the phosphotransfer network and antioxidant status. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether the improvement of the antioxidant/oxidant status and the phosphoryl transfer network may be involved in enhanced growth performance in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) fed with various levels of thymol (100, 200, and 300 mg/kg feed). Thymol-supplementation (100 mg/kg feed) produced higher body weight and weight gain for 60-day post-feeding compared to the control group. Specific growth rate was higher; while feed conversion ratio was lower in fish that consumed 100 mg of thymol/kg compared to other groups. Hepatic lactate dehydrogenase activity and lipid peroxidation levels were lower in the thymol-supplemented group (100 mg/kg feed) than in the control group, while reactive oxygen species were lower in all supplemented groups than in the control group. Hepatic superoxide dismutase (300 mg/kg feed) and glutathione peroxidase (100, 200, and 300 mg/kg feed) activities, as well as antioxidant capacity against peroxyl radicals (100 mg/kg feed) were higher in these groups than in the control group. Based on these data, we conclude that 100 mg thymol/kg dietary supplementation increased growth performance of fingerling grass carp. Finally, hepatic adenylate kinase activity was lower in the thymol supplemented group (100 mg/kg feed) than in the control group. Thymol supplementation (100 mg/kg feed) improved hepatic energy metabolism, while practically all tested concentrations of thymol enhanced hepatic antioxidant status, all of which may be pathways involved in increased growth performance in fingerling grass carp.

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Statement: expects data

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Funding

CAPES and CNPq financially supported the scholarship and research (PQ).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Program in Animal Science, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, Chapecó, RS, Brazil

    Monique B. Morselli, João H. Reis, Diovani Paiano, Diogo L. A. Lopes & Aleksandro S. Da Silva

  2. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil

    Matheus D. Baldissera, Carine F. Souza & Bernardo Baldisserotto

  3. Graduate Program in Animal Health and Production in Small Farms, Universidade do Oeste de Santa Catarina, Xanxerê, Brazil

    Tiago G. Petrolli

Authors
  1. Monique B. Morselli
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  2. João H. Reis
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  3. Matheus D. Baldissera
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  4. Carine F. Souza
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  5. Bernardo Baldisserotto
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  6. Tiago G. Petrolli
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  7. Diovani Paiano
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  8. Diogo L. A. Lopes
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  9. Aleksandro S. Da Silva
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aleksandro S. Da Silva.

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Ethics committee

These experiments were approved by the Animal Welfare Committee of the State University of Santa Catarina (UDESC) under protocol number 8817050418.

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Highlight

• Thymol is an herbal food additive used to improve animal performance.

• Dose of 100 mg thymol/kg dietary supplementation tested in the present study increased the weight gain of fingerlings of grass carp under non-ideal conditions.

• Thymol dietary supplementation (100 mg/kg feed) was able to improve the hepatic energy metabolism.

• Thymol in diet enhanced the hepatic antioxidant status, which can be pathways involved in the increase of growth performance of fingerlings grass carp.

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Morselli, M.B., Reis, J.H., Baldissera, M.D. et al. Benefits of thymol supplementation on performance, the hepatic antioxidant system, and energetic metabolism in grass carp. Fish Physiol Biochem 46, 305–314 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-019-00718-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-019-00718-2

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