The rise of aquaculture has placed immense importance on optimizing fish growth and health, particularly for popular species like Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). A newly published study has shed light on how the pharmaceutical clenbuterol can regulate metabolic disorders typically associated with high-fat diets (HFD) commonly used in fish farming.
The research, conducted by scientists at Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt, aims to address the detrimental effects of high-fat diets on tilapia health and growth performance. These diets, rich in lipids, can lead to increased fat accumulation and metabolic dysfunction, resulting in poor growth rates and compromised immune responses.
Six experimental diets were formulated to investigate the effects of clenbuterol supplementation at two different fat levels: 6% and 12%. The tilapia were fed diets with varying concentrations of clenbuterol (0, 5, and 10 g/kg) over 60 days, followed by assessments of growth performance and metabolic health.
Findings revealed stark contrasts between the control and HFD groups. Fish on high-fat diets showed reduced body weight gain and altered hematological parameters indicative of metabolic stress. Notably, supplementation with clenbuterol markedly reversed these negative outcomes, significantly enhancing growth metrics such as final body weight (FBW), feed conversion ratios (FCR), and overall body composition.
Not just limited to growth improvements, clenbuterol also positively influenced biochemical parameters. The HFD led to elevated liver fat and unhealthy serum enzyme levels, indicating liver function impairment. Clenbuterol treatment, on the other hand, restored these parameters, showcasing its protective hepatoprotective effects. Serum biomarkers associated with liver and kidney damage were also significantly improved through clenbuterol supplementation.
At the genetic level, the study unveiled substantial insights on clenbuterol’s role in modulating metabolic pathways. The presence of clenbuterol led to increased expression of antioxidant genes such as nrf2, which combats oxidative stress, and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines. This points to its dual role as both a growth promoter and anti-inflammatory agent.
Specifically, the expression of lipid metabolism-related genes was also significantly influenced by clenbuterol. The study noted increased expression of lipogenic genes associated with fat processing was effectively suppressed under clenbuterol supplementation, enabling tilapia to manage dietary-induced lipid accumulation more efficiently than their high-fat diet counterparts.
The research indicates clenbuterol's potential for improving not only the growth performance of Nile tilapia but also their overall health by enhancing antioxidant defenses and mitigating inflammatory responses, which are often exacerbated by high-fat diets.
These findings assist aquaculture stakeholders aiming to optimize diet formulations and improve the economic efficiency of tilapia farming. While clenbuterol’s application has exhibited promising results, researchers suggest future studies to explore long-term effects and explore broader applications across various aquatic species.