Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Controlled Clinical Trial
. 2012 Jul 2:8:101.
doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-8-101.

Dietary soyasaponin supplementation to pea protein concentrate reveals nutrigenomic interactions underlying enteropathy in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

Trond M Kortner  1 , Stanko Skugor, Michael H Penn, Liv Torunn Mydland, Brankica Djordjevic, Marie Hillestad, Aleksei Krasnov, Åshild Krogdahl
Affiliations
Controlled Clinical Trial

Dietary soyasaponin supplementation to pea protein concentrate reveals nutrigenomic interactions underlying enteropathy in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

Trond M Kortner et al. BMC Vet Res. .

Abstract

Background: Use of plant ingredients in aquaculture feeds is impeded by high contents of antinutritional factors such as saponins, which may cause various pharmacological and biological effects. In this study, transcriptome changes were analyzed using a 21 k oligonucleotide microarray and qPCR in the distal intestine of Atlantic salmon fed diets based on five plant protein sources combined with soybean saponins.

Results: Diets with corn gluten, sunflower, rapeseed or horsebean produced minor effects while the combination of saponins with pea protein concentrate caused enteritis and major transcriptome changes. Acute inflammation was characterised by up-regulation of cytokines, NFkB and TNFalpha related genes and regulators of T-cell function, while the IFN-axis was suppressed. Induction of lectins, complement, metalloproteinases and the respiratory burst complex parallelled a down-regulation of genes for free radical scavengers and iron binding proteins. Marked down-regulation of xenobiotic metabolism was also observed, possibly increasing vulnerability of the intestinal tissue. A hallmark of metabolic changes was dramatic down-regulation of lipid, bile and steroid metabolism. Impairment of digestion was further suggested by expression changes of nutrient transporters and regulators of water balance (e.g. aquaporin, guanylin). On the other hand, microarray profiling revealed activation of multiple mucosal defence processes. Annexin-1, with important anti-inflammatory and gastroprotective properties, was markedly up-regulated. Furthermore, augmented synthesis of polyamines needed for cellular proliferation (up-regulation of arginase and ornithine decarboxylase) and increased mucus production (down-regulation of glycan turnover and goblet cell hyperplasia) could participate in mucosal healing and restoration of normal tissue function.

Conclusion: The current study promoted understanding of salmon intestinal pathology and establishment of a model for feed induced enteritis. Multiple gene expression profiling further characterised the inflammation and described the intestinal pathology at the molecular level.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative images of distal intestine tissue from fish fed diet PPC (A) and fish fed diet PPC + S (B). The tissue from PPC + S fed fish showed clear signs of intestinal inflammation including shortened mucosal folds, fusion between adjacent folds and a prominent inflammatory infiltrate.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Representative images of distal intestine tissue from fish fed diet PPC (A & B) and fish fed diet PPC + S (C & D). The tissue from PPC + S fed fish exhibited reduced enterocyte vacuolization and abnormal nucleus position, increased lamina propria and submucosa width with prominent leukocyte infiltration.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Clustering of microarray samples and numbers of differentially expressed genes (DEG) after saponin supplementation to five plant protein sources. Abbreviations: CG, corn gluten; PPC, pea protein concentrate; SFM, sunflower meal; RSM, rapeseed meal and HBM, horse bean meal.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Comparison of qPCR and microarray (MA) results. Data are presented as fold changes of PCC control diet group. All MA results (n = 4 fish/group) are significant. For qPCR results (n = 9 fish/group), data differences between PPC and PPC + S group are denoted as * = p < 0.05, ** = p < 0.01 and ns = not significant. For genes not denoted, p < 0.0001. See Table 2 for acronym explanations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Gatlin DM, Barrows FT, Brown P, Dabrowski K, Gaylord TG, Hardy RW, Herman E, Hu GS, Krogdahl Å, Nelson R, Overturf K, Rust M, Sealey W, Skonberg D, Souza EJ, Stone D, Wilson R, Wurtele E. Expanding the utilization of sustainable plant products in aquafeeds: a review. Aquaculture Res. 2007;38:551–579. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2109.2007.01704.x. - DOI
    1. Francis G, Makkar HPS, Becker K. Antinutritional factors present in plant-derived alternate fish feed ingredients and their effects in fish. Aquaculture. 2001;199:197–227. doi: 10.1016/S0044-8486(01)00526-9. - DOI
    1. Krogdahl Å, Penn M, Thorsen J, Refstie S, Bakke AM. Important antinutrients in plant feedstuffs for aquaculture: an update on recent findings regarding responses in salmonids. Aquaculture Res. 2010;41:333–344. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2109.2009.02426.x. - DOI
    1. Francis G, Kerem Z, Makkar HPS, Becker K. The biological action of saponins in animal systems: a review. Brit J Nutr. 2002;88:587–605. doi: 10.1079/BJN2002725. - DOI - PubMed
    1. LacailleDubois MA, Wagner H. A review of the biological and pharmacological activities of saponins. Phytomed. 1996;2:363–386. doi: 10.1016/S0944-7113(96)80081-X. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Associated data