Effects of prolonged epinephrine infusion on blood respiratory and acid-base states in the rainbow trout: Alpha and beta effects

Rainbow trout were infused continuously for 12h with epinephrine in the presence or absence of alpha-and/or beta-adrenergic blockade to characterize the specific adrenergic mechanisms involved in the control of blood acid-base status and oxygen transport capacity. Infusion of epinephrine, alone, produced a transient respiratory acidosis, as indicated by an increase in carbon dioxide tension and a decrease in whole blood pH, yet arterial oxygen tension was elevated. Red blood cell pH increased by approximately 0.2 pH units during epinephrine infusion and this increase as well as the increase in oxygen tension were prevented by pretreatment with propranolol (a beta-adrenergic antagonist). Epinephrine infusion during alpha-adrenergic blockade caused a prolonged elevation of blood carbon dioxide tension and abolished the increases in hematocrit and hemoglobin concentrations observed during epinephrine infusion alone. Infusion of the alpha-adrenergic agonists phenylephrine (an alpha₁ agonist) or clonidine (an alpha₂ agonist) caused respiratory acidosis (decreased pH, increased CO₂ tension) and a reduction in oxygen tension. Infusion of isoprenaline (a non-specific beta agonist) caused delayed increases in carbon dioxide and oxygen tensions. We speculate that the increased carbon dioxide tension observed during epinephrine infusion is a result of beta-adrenoceptor mediated inhibition of red blood cell bicarbonate dehydration and not branchial convective or diffusive adjustments. The effects of epinephrine on blood O₂ tension, content and carrying capacity are discussed with reference to the participation of alpha- and beta-adrenergic mechanisms at the gill, spleen and red blood cell.     

Incorporation and metabolism of (n-3) and (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids in phospholipid classes in cultured rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) cells

The incorporation and metabolism of various (n-3) and (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids supplemented to the culture medium was investigated in the rainbow trout cell line, RTG-2. The distribution, and the occurrence and relative extent of further desaturation and elongation of the incorporated acids was determined in individual phospholipid classes by analysis of the fatty acid compositions. RTG-2 cells exhibited Δ6 and Δ5 desaturase activities whereas Δ4 desaturase activity was almost totally absent. The percentage of precursor acids was greatest in the phosphatidic acid/cardiolipin fraction (PA/CL), suggesting a role for possibly PA in the initial incorporation of these acids into the phospholipid pool. The compositional data indicated that individual intermediates and products of the desaturation pathways were associated with specific phospholipid classes probably via mechanisms depending upon the specificities of the acylating enzymes. The composition of phosphatidylinositol (PI) and the tightly controlled mechanisms for generating/maintaining it are consistent with a role for this phospholipid in providing precursor fatty acid for eicosanoid synthesis.     

Temporal changes in plasma thyroid hormone,growth hormone and free fatty acid concentrations,and hepatic 5′-monodeiodinase activity,lipid and protein content during chronic fasting and re-feeding in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Temporal changes in growth, plasma thyroid hormone, cortisol, growth hormone (GH) and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations, hepatic T₃ content and hepatic 5-monodeiodinase activity were measured in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) subjected to a sustained fast for up to eight weeks, and during a four-week re-feeding period. The purpose of the study was to examine aspects of the endocrine control of energy partitioning processes characteristic of short-term (acute; fasting) and long-term (chronic; starvation) food-deprivation states in fish, and to explore the role of the thyroid hormones, cortisol and GH in the energy repartitioning that takes place during an acute anabolic (re-feeding) state following chronic food deprivation.Differences in growth rate between fed and fasted groups were evident after two weeks, but significant weight loss by the fasted groups was not evident until between four and six weeks into the fast. Hepatosomatic indices (HSIs) were significantly reduced in the fasted fish within seven days, and as early as two days in one study; recovery of the HSI in fasted fish was evident within three days of re-feeding. Liver protein content (expressed as % wet weight) was consistently depressed in the fasted fish in only one of the three studies. Liver total lipid content (expressed as % wet weight) was depressed in the fasted fish within two days of food deprivation. Because of the rapid and sustained decrease in the HSI of fasted fish, the hepatic total protein and lipid reserves, when considered on a body weight basis, were markedly lowered within the first few days of the fast. Plasma GH concentrations exhibited a bi-modal pattern of change, with a transient fall in levels, followed by a sustained increase in fasted fish. The indicators of interrenal activity were suggestive of a depressed pituitary-interrenal axis in fasted animals; plasma cortisol levels were elevated to levels of fed animals within one day of re-feeding. The indicators of thyroid hormone economy (plasma thyroid hormone levels, liver triiodothyronine content, hepatic 5-monodeiodinase (MD) activity, thyroid epithelial cell height) were similarly indicative of a depressed pituitary-thyroid axis in fasted animals, with recovery to levels of the fed animals within one week. Despite the compensatory changes in accumulation of reserves (as indicated by a compensatory increase in HSI), there were no apparent compensatory changes in any of the endocrine parameters evident during the re-feeding period.     

Investigations of physiological and pathological levels of total plasma protein in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)

This study was aimed at construction of reference (physiological) value intervals determined by lower 2.5% and upper 97.5% quantiles for total plasma protein (TPP) in farmed rainbow trout, Oncorhychus mykiss (Kamloops strain), aged 10–12 months (n=755). Total plasma protein in male trout from raceway culture was found to be significantly greater (38–58.3 g L^?1) relative to females (31–51.5 g L^?1). Total plasma protein in trout from cage culture was significantly greater (32–54 g L^?1) compared with the raceway culture (31–49 g L^?1). Moderate product–moment correlations between TPP and cholesterol (r=0.8730), TPP and total calcium (r=0.8188), TPP and alanine aminotransferase (r=0.6200) and between TPP and aspartate aminotransferase (r=0.6430) were estimated. Proteinaemia was explained as a metabolic response to feed content, infections of bacterial or viral aetiology or to intoxications.     

不同水温下虹鳟血液红细胞数及血清中血糖与矿质元素含量测定

采用显微记数法和使用日立7170A全自动生化分析仪与贝克曼CX-3电解质分析仪,测定水温14℃、19℃、23℃时虹鳟(Salmoirideus Gibbons)血液中红细胞数量和血清中血糖与矿质元素含量。结果表明:水温从14℃升至23℃,虹鳟血液红细胞数量显著减少;血清中血糖含量在水温19℃时表现为增加、在23℃时又表现为减少;铜元素含量在水温23℃时较14℃时增加84.06%,钾、磷、钙、镁、钠、氯、铁元素含量在水温23℃时较14℃时增幅为1.65%～33.66%。     

The effect of water pH on swimming performance in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri,Richardson)

A Brett-type respirometer was used to measure the effect of water pH on swimming performance of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). Variations in water pH between 6 and 9 had no measurable effect on maximum aerobic swimming speed. At water pH 4, 5, and 10, however, the critical velocity was only 55, 67, and 61% respectively of that recorded for fish in water of pH 7. Exposure to acid conditions increased coughing and breathing frequency. Acid exposure resulted in a decrease whereas alkaline exposure resulted in an increase in both whole blood and red blood cell pH. Blood gas and acid-base characteristics showed little change during swimming at 2.0 BL/second, but exhaustive swimming resulted in a marked and immediate drop in blood pH in fish in acid, alkaline and neutral water. The blood acid-base status was restored to resting levels after exercise in neutral and alkaline water, but the acidosis was maintained following exercise in acid water. Fatigue occurred earlier and blood lactate levels increased to a higher level in fish swum to exhaustion in acid or alkaline water, compared with fish in neutral water.     

Long-term nutritional effects on the primary liver and kidney metabolism in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). II. Adaptive response of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity to high-carbohydrate/low-protein and high-fat/non-carbohydrate diets

The influence of long-term administration of high-carbohydrate/low-protein and high-fat/non-carbohydrate diets were studied in relation to kinetic behaviour of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase in liver and kidney of rainbow trout. In all cases studied, the saturation curves of these enzyme showed typical hyperbolic kinetics without evidence of sigmoidicity. After 30 days of feeding with a high-fat diet (170 g kg^?1), there was a significant decrease in V_max and specific activity (45%) as well as catalytic efficiency (39%) without changes in K_m or activity ratio of hepatic glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase. These changes agree more with a clearly decreased cell concentration than with an inhibition of the pre-existing enzyme. The administration of a high-carbohydrate diet (60 g kg^?1), contrary to what was previously thought, decreased V_max by 21% and specific activity and catalytic efficiency by 30%, without significant changes in the other kinetic parameters of the hepatic enzyme. The kinetic behaviour under these nutritional conditons was due to the rejection of this diet by the fish and thus could be considered a low-feeding situation. On the other hand, no variations in the kinetics of renal glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase were found, clearly demonstrating that in this organ, the pentosephosphate pathway showed no adaptive response related to fattyacid and other lipid synthesis. The activity of the renal enzyme was consistently half that of the hepatic enzyme.     

Thyroidal compensation in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) fed canola meal

Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri Richardson) were fed either a soybean mealbased (SM) or canola meal-based (CM) diet for up to 20 weeks. Plasma thyroxine (T₄) and triiodothryonine (T₃) levels were significantly lower in the CM-fed fish sampled after 12 weeks. However, there appeared to be some compensation after 12 and 20 weeks in that the thyroid hormone levels in trout fed the CM were not significantly different from those of the SM-fed fish. Nevertheless, there was marked thyroid hyperplasia and hypertrophy in the CM-fed fish sampled at 12, 16 and 20 weeks after commencement of the experiment. Moreover, the growth rate was significantly lower in the CM-fed fish in comparison to the SM-fed fish throughout the 20 week study period.Plasma T₄ levels were similar in SM-fed fish sampled 12, 16 and 20 weeks after commencement of the experiment, but plasma T₃ levels progressively increased over this period, as did the apparent activity of the thyroid tissue based on histological criteria.Fasting for up to 8 weeks resulted in the arrested growth of the SM-fed fish, and a loss in body weight of the CM-fed animals over the 8 week period of the fast. In addition, the plasma thyroid hormone levels in the fasted fish tended to be lower than in fish fed both the SM and CM diets prior to fasting, and there was histological evidence indicating a reduced activity of the pituitary-thyroid axis. However, thyroid hyperplasia and hypertrophy were still evident in the fasted fish previously fed the CM diet indicating that the adverse affects of CM diets are not completely reversible after 8 weeks.In fish fed the CM diet for 12 weeks and then the SM diet for up to a further 8 weeks (diet C-S) there was a compensatory increase in plasma thyroid hormone levels evident within 4 weeks after the change in diet, but no apparent decrease in thyroid hyperplasia or hypertrophy. In addition, in the fish fed the C-S diet there was a marked compensatory growth rate, and an increased feed: gain ratio; body weights of this group of fish were not significantly different from those of the SM-fed animals after 20 weeks of study, indicating a considerably higher growth rate over the last 8 week period.     

虹鳟不同养殖群体形态性状变异的初步研究

本文采用鱼类形态度量学和框架度量学相结合的方法，对五个不同虹鳟养殖群体（1．渤海群体2．丹麦群体3．道氏群体4．挪威群体5．加州群体）20个比例性状进行了主成分分析，结果表明：虹鳟的形态指标大致可归纳为“大小因子”、“摄食因子”、“游泳因子”、“形态因子”和“头型因子”能较完整（82．66％）地描写虹鳟的外形特征；道氏以外的4个虹鳟群体的形态学特征存在较大的相似性，道氏群体与其他4个虹鳟群体的形态差异较大；通过比较其形态性状以便评估其种内的变异以及各个性状伴随着生长而产生的变化，为今后虹鳟的选育方案设计及选择应答的预测提供参考。     

The persistence of infectivity of Tetracapsulabryosalmonae-infected water for rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)

Proliferative kidney disease (PKD) is caused by the infection of susceptible salmonid fish with spores of the myxozoan Tetracapsula bryosalmonae , a parasite harboured and released by several species of bryozoans. Under natural conditions, PKD is a water-borne infection of fish, whose outcome and spatio-temporal dissemination depend on the viability of spores present in the water. In order to evaluate the duration of parasite infectivity, juvenile rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss , were exposed for 20 h to T. bryosalmonae -infected water at various times post-water collection or after different filtration procedures. When infected water was held in a temperature range of 14.5–17 °C for up to 14 days, PKD was transmitted to the fish only between 0 and 12 h post-water collection and its infectivity vanished between 12 and 24 h. Similarly, the infectivity of water passed through 25 μm but not through 1 μm mesh filters, and was lost in the material eluted from the 1 μm filtration membrane although the parasite's DNA was amplified from this material. The parasitic infectivity in water appears to be fragile and this may offer opportunities to decrease the impact of PKD in trout farms by the implementation of management procedures aimed at reducing the number of the bryozoan-holding surfaces located in the river, immediately upstream from these farms.