Endocrine-Nutritional Synergy Between Sex Inversion and Microencapsulated Bioactives Enhances Growth, Intestinal...

Area of Science:

• Aquaculture and Animal Science
• Fish Physiology and Genetics
• Nutritional Biochemistry

Background:

• Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) aquaculture is crucial globally.
• Optimizing larval growth and health is key to sustainable aquaculture.
• Understanding the synergistic effects of hormonal manipulation and nutritional strategies is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the combined effects of sex inversion and microencapsulated supplementation on Nile tilapia larvae.
• To assess impacts on growth performance, tissue morphology, gene expression, and oxidative status.
• To determine optimal strategies for enhancing early ontogeny in Nile tilapia.

Main Methods:

• A 2x2 factorial design was employed with Nile tilapia larvae (GIFT strain).
• Treatments included non-inverted (NI), sex-reversed (I), supplemented (NI+M), and combined (I+M) groups.
• Evaluated zootechnical performance, histomorphometry, gene expression (Mstn, GH), and oxidative status over 28 days.

Main Results:

• Sex-reversed groups showed significantly higher weight gain and total length.
• Microencapsulated supplementation positively influenced villus height and width, and muscle development.
• Combined treatment (I+M) demonstrated enhanced growth, tissue development, and reduced protein carbonylation.
• Gene expression analysis revealed elevated GH in inverted groups, indicating enhanced growth potential.

Conclusions:

• Hormonal sex inversion and microencapsulated supplementation interact synergistically to improve Nile tilapia larval growth.
• These combined strategies enhance tissue development and redox homeostasis during early life stages.
• The findings provide valuable insights for optimizing Nile tilapia aquaculture practices through integrated hormonal and nutritional approaches.