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The effects of arachidonic acid on the endocrine and osmoregulatory response of tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) acclimated to seawater and subjected to confinement stress

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Abstract

In previous studies in freshwater tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), dietary supplementation with arachidonic acid (ArA; 20:4n − 6) had considerable, opposing effects on the main ion-transporting enzyme Na+/K+-ATPase in gills and kidneys and changed the release of osmoregulatory hormones, such as cortisol. The present study was performed to assess the influence of dietary ArA on (1) the osmoregulatory capacity of tilapia acclimated to seawater (SW) (34‰) and (2) the osmoregulatory imbalance associated with acute stress. The increased ambient salinity was associated with significant alterations in the tissue fatty acid composition, particularly the n − 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Tissue levels of ArA were further increased as a result of dietary supplementation, whereas docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n − 3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n − 3) decreased in gills and kidneys. Basal plasma cortisol as well as lactate levels were elevated in the ArA-supplemented SW-acclimated tilapia compared with the control group. The 5 min of confinement (transient stress) increased plasma cortisol, glucose, and lactate levels with significantly higher levels in ArA-supplemented tilapia. Confinement was also associated with significantly elevated plasma osmolality, sodium, chloride, and potassium levels. ArA-supplemented tilapia showed markedly lower ionic disturbances after confinement, suggesting that dietary ArA can attenuate the hydromineral imbalance associated with acute stress. These results emphasize the involvement of ArA and/or its metabolites in the endocrine and osmoregulatory processes and the response to confinement stress.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. G. Kissil (IOLR-NCM, Eilat, Israel) for providing the specially prepared pellets and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Nijmegen University Hospital St. Radboud) for their advice on the statistical analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, Faculty of Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, 6525, ED, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    R. D. Van Anholt, F. A. T. Spanings & S. E. Wendelaar Bonga

  2. Department of Larval Rearing and Physiology, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, The National Center for Mariculture (NCM), P.O. Box 1212, 88112, Eilat, Israel

    O. Nixon & W. M. Koven

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  1. R. D. Van Anholt
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  2. F. A. T. Spanings
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  3. O. Nixon
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  4. S. E. Wendelaar Bonga
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  5. W. M. Koven
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Correspondence to W. M. Koven.

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Van Anholt, R.D., Spanings, F.A.T., Nixon, O. et al. The effects of arachidonic acid on the endocrine and osmoregulatory response of tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) acclimated to seawater and subjected to confinement stress. Fish Physiol Biochem 38, 703–713 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-011-9552-6

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