Abstract
Aim:
The
present study evaluates the immunomodulatory potentials of β-glucan and
chitosan administered orally for 15 days to the freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium
rosenbergii juveniles.
Methodology:
Two
diets were formulated supplementing 1.5 g kg-1 and 20 g kg-1
of β-glucan (diet G) and chitosan (diet C), respectively, with a control diet
(diet B). The prawns were fed twice daily at 5% biomass. At the end of the
feeding trials, mRNA expression profiles of immune-related genes
lipopolysaccharide- and β-1,3-glucan binding protein (LGBP) and chitinase 3
were analyzed in qPCR. Corresponding LGBP protein and chitinases/CBP
(chitinase 1, chitinase 1C and obstructor E, a chitin-binding protein)
protein levels were also estimated by ELISA.
Results:
Supplementation
of the immunostimulants (diets G and C) significantly enhanced the mRNA
expression of both LGBP and chitinase 3 in the hepatopancreas. The protein
expression of LGBP and chitinases/CBP was also significantly increased in the
serum and hepatopancreas samples of both treatment groups.
Interpretation:
The
short-term supplementation of β-glucan and chitosan in diets demonstrated
beneficial effects in M. rosenbergii by enhancing the expression of important
immune molecules like LGBP and chitinases, indicating their potential
applications during the period of biotic stress.
Key
words: β-glucan,
Chitinase, Hepatopancreas, Immunostimulants, LGBP, Macrobrachium
rosenbergii
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