Physiological Responses of European Seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) Juveniles to Long-Term Feeding with Increasing Levels of EPA and DHA: Effects of Thermal Challenge.
5 affiliations
- 1CIIMAR/CIMAR LA, Interdisciplinary Center of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal.
- 2Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal.
- 3School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
- 4IPMA-Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere, 1495-006 Lisboa, Portugal.
- 5Sorgal S.A., Sociedade de Óleos e Rações, EN109 Pardala, 3880-728 São João Ovar, Portugal.
Abstract
Fish oil has traditionally been the primary source of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated FA (n-3 LC-PUFA) in aquafeeds but is increasingly being replaced by alternative lipid sources. However, marine carnivorous fish require dietary n-3 LC-PUFA, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which these alternative sources lack. This study assessed the long-term impact of graded levels of dietary EPA+DHA from microalgal oil on European seabass growth, feed utilization, immunological and oxidative status, and muscle FA profile. Six isoproteic (47% protein) and isolipidic (17% lipid) diets containing 0.56%, 0.66%, 0.71%, 0.90%, 1.11%, and 1.27% EPA+DHA were fed to fish (107 g initial weight) for 180 days at 23 °C, followed by a 7-day thermal challenge at 30 °C. At the end of the feeding trial, growth performance, feed utilization, organosomatic indices, blood and innate immune parameters, and oxidative stress were unaffected. Muscle FA composition mirrored that of the diets, and linear correlations were observed between muscle and dietary n-3 LC-PUFA levels. In the thermal challenge, no mortalities occurred, but hematological parameters, immune responses, and oxidative stress were intensified. Muscle FA composition remained unchanged, indicating that a dietary EPA+DHA level of 0.56% appears sufficient to meet physiological needs during an acute temperature challenge.
Related
- The Challenge of Coping with Dry Atmospheres: Structural and Physiological Adaptations to High VPD in Terrestrial Plants
- A gut-on-chip model reveals architecture-dependent epithelial responses to microbial challenge
- Deep learning-based virtual perturbation reveals increasing heterogeneity of gene regulatory responses with aging
- Dynamic Responses to an Inflammatory Challenge Distinguish Metabolic Health Across Lean and Obese Individuals
- Integrated phenotyping reveals coordinated physiological responses to cold, freezing, and recovery in Ramonda resurrection plants
BibTeX
@article{vieira2026physiological,
title = {{Physiological Responses of European Seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) Juveniles to Long-Term Feeding with Increasing Levels of EPA and DHA: Effects of Thermal Challenge.}},
author = {Lúcia Vieira and Diogo Amaral and Bruno Silveira and Thaís Cavalheri and Filipa Fontinha and Narcisa Bandarra and Sara Magalhães and Tiago Aires and Rodrigo O A Ozório and Aires Oliva-Teles and Helena Peres and Rui Magalhães},
journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ani16193119},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883088},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Physiological Responses of European Seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) Juveniles to Long-Term Feeding with Increasing Levels of EPA and DHA: Effects of Thermal Challenge.
AU - Lúcia Vieira
AU - Diogo Amaral
AU - Bruno Silveira
AU - Thaís Cavalheri
AU - Filipa Fontinha
AU - Narcisa Bandarra
AU - Sara Magalhães
AU - Tiago Aires
AU - Rodrigo O A Ozório
AU - Aires Oliva-Teles
AU - Helena Peres
AU - Rui Magalhães
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/04
JO - Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
DO - 10.3390/ani16193119
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883088
AB - Fish oil has traditionally been the primary source of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated FA (n-3 LC-PUFA) in aquafeeds but is increasingly being replaced by alternative lipid sources. However, marine carnivorous fish require dietary n-3 LC-PUFA, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which these alternative sources lack. This study assessed the long-term impact of graded levels of dietary EPA+DHA from microalgal oil on European seabass growth, feed utilization, immunological and oxidative status, and muscle FA profile. Six isoproteic (47% protein) and isolipidic (17% lipid) diets containing 0.56%, 0.66%, 0.71%, 0.90%, 1.11%, and 1.27% EPA+DHA were fed to fish (107 g initial weight) for 180 days at 23 °C, followed by a 7-day thermal challenge at 30 °C. At the end of the feeding trial, growth performance, feed utilization, organosomatic indices, blood and innate immune parameters, and oxidative stress were unaffected. Muscle FA composition mirrored that of the diets, and linear correlations were observed between muscle and dietary n-3 LC-PUFA levels. In the thermal challenge, no mortalities occurred, but hematological parameters, immune responses, and oxidative stress were intensified. Muscle FA composition remained unchanged, indicating that a dietary EPA+DHA level of 0.56% appears sufficient to meet physiological needs during an acute temperature challenge.
SN - 2076-2615
ER -