Dietary sodium butyrate ameliorated the blood stress biomarkers, heat shock proteins, and immune response of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) exposed to heat stress

Publication date: Available online 30 December 2019Source: Journal of Thermal BiologyAuthor(s): Mahmoud A.O. Dawood, Nabil M. Eweedah, Zizy I. Elbialy, Amr I. AbdelhamidAbstractThe present study investigated the effects of sodium butyrate (SB) on the growth performance, histomorphology, immune response, and stress related markers of Nile tilapia subjected to heat stress. SB was incorporated at 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 g per kg diet and fed to fish for 8 weeks. The obtained results revealed significantly improved growth performance with a decreased feed conversion ratio in the fish fed SB (P < 0.05). In the anterior, middle, and distal parts of the intestine, villus length and width and internal villi distance as well as the number of goblet cells were increased in the fish fed SB (P < 0.05). The blood total protein, hemoglobin, and white and red blood cell counts showed a significant quadratic influence (P < 0.05). The survival rate for Nile tilapia exposed to heat stress for 48 h revealed that the SB fed groups had noticeably higher survival rates. Dietary SB significantly increased the phagocytic index and lysozyme and phagocytic activities both before and after heat stress (P < 0.05). After heat stress, blood glucose decreased significantly with SB feeding at 0.5, 1, or 1.5 g per kg diet, while cortisol was reduced in fish fed 1.5 or 2 g per kg diet (P < 0.05). Additionally, in fish fed SB, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, ...
Source: Journal of Thermal Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: research