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Natural Antioxidants and Aquatic Animal Health—3rd Edition

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A special issue of Antioxidants (ISSN 2076-3921). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Outcomes of Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 3481

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Dr. Rui Jia

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Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuxi, China
Interests: aquatic animals; pharmacology; toxicology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the positive reception and steady scholarly engagement with the first two editions, we are pleased to introduce the 3rd edition of this Special Issue, titled “Natural Antioxidants and Aquatic Animal Health—3rd Edition”. Building on the foundation established by previous volumes, this edition seeks to further explore and extend our understanding of the important role natural antioxidants play in supporting aquatic animal health and promoting sustainable aquaculture.

Medicinal plants and their extracts, widely recognized for their significant antioxidant properties, offer a sustainable alternative to synthetic additives in promoting the health of both humans and animals. In aquaculture, aquatic animals are consistently subjected to a variety of environmental and physiological stressors—including high stocking density, temperature fluctuations, and pathogenic infections—which can lead to oxidative stress, weakened immunity, and impaired growth. Natural antioxidants present a promising, eco-friendly approach to alleviating these adverse effects and enhancing overall resilience in farmed aquatic species.

While previous editions have substantially advanced our understanding of the applications and benefits of these compounds, several critical aspects warrant further exploration. These include the underlying molecular mechanisms, bioavailability and metabolic pathways, and the long-term physiological impacts of antioxidant supplementation. The integration of multi-omics technologies also opens new avenues for elucidating the systemic responses of aquatic animals to natural antioxidants.

In this 3rd edition, we aim to deepen the dialogue on the relationship between natural antioxidants and aquatic animal health. We welcome submissions that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

(1) Discovery, characterization, and efficacy evaluation of novel natural antioxidants;

(2) Mechanistic insights into how natural antioxidants modulate health, immune function, and stress tolerance aquatic organisms;

(3) Endogenous anti-stress and disease-resistance pathways in aquatic organisms;

(4) Multi-omics studies (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) on the effects of natural antioxidants;

(5) Practical applications, formulation strategies, and sustainability assessments of antioxidant-rich feeds in aquaculture;

(6) Interactions between natural antioxidants, intestinal microbiota, and host health in aquatic animals.

We invite original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and methodologically oriented contributions that will further enrich this field and support the development of health-oriented, sustainable aquaculture practices.

Dr. Rui Jia
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Antioxidants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

natural antioxidants
oxidative stress
medicinal plants
aquatic animals
feed additives

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Research

22 pages, 5116 KB

Open AccessArticle

Alginate Oligosaccharide: A Promising Functional Additive for Growth, Intestine Function, Immunity, Antioxidation and Apoptosis Modulation in Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)

by Hualiang Liang, Lu Zhang, Yuqun Li, Dongyu Huang, Qunlan Zhou, Xiaodu Xu, Mingchun Ren and Xiaoru Chen

Antioxidants 2026, 15(9), 1059; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15091059 - 25 Aug 2026

Abstract

A 56-day feeding trial was designed to investigate the effects of alginate oligosaccharide (AOS) on the growth, immune response, antioxidant activity and apoptosis pathways of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). We formulated six isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets with different concentrations of AOS (0% (control), 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.15%, 0.2% and 0.25%). The results showed that the WGR of the AOS0.15–0.2 groups were markedly increased, and the FBW and SGR of the AOS0.1–0.2 groups were also markedly boosted. In addition, no significant differences were observed in FCR, SR and FI in the treatment groups. According to SGR and WG second-degree polynomial regression analysis, the optimum AOS addition level for juvenile largemouth bass was 0.14–0.15%. On the other hand, no notable differences were observed in crude protein, moisture, crude lipid or crude ash content between groups, and no notable differences were also observed in the levels of AST and ALT in the plasma between all groups. Additionally, ALP activities were considerably higher in the AOS0.15–0.25 groups. In terms of intestinal digestion and absorption function, AOS0.1 group and AOS0.15 group significantly increased the intestinal amylase and lipase activities, and A0S0.1–0.2 groups significantly increased the intestinal trypsin activities, while proper dietary supplementation with AOS significantly improved villus muscular thickness, villus height, and villus width. Furthermore, proper dietary supplementation with AOS significantly up-regulated the mRNA levels of occ, clau, C6A6, C7A5, C7A8B, C6A14 and pept1 in the intestine. No significant differences were observed in the mRNA levels of C7A6, C7A1A and C7A10A between all groups. With respect to the antioxidant and immune functions of the intestine, the analysis revealed no remarkable differences between the groups concerning SOD, GPX activity or T-AOC content in the intestine. However, a significant increase in CAT activity of the intestine was observed in the AOS0.05–0.15 groups, and MDA levels were lower in all AOS-added groups. Apart from the above, AOS0.15–0.25 groups significantly reduced intestinal TNF-α concentration. No notable differences were observed in the intestinal contents of TGF-β, IL-10 and IL-6 between all groups. Additionally, proper dietary supplementation with AOS could improve antioxidant effects and inhibit inflammation by regulating the gene expressions of the related-Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathway, including nrf2, keap1, Mn-sod, gpx, nf-κb, il-10 and tgf-β. There was no significant difference in the mRNA levels of cat, fox, il-8 and tnf-α. With respect to cell apoptosis in the intestine, TUNEL assay results showed that green positive cells were significantly lower in the AOS0.05–0.2 groups than the AOS0 group. Additionally, proper dietary supplementation with AOS could inhibit cell apoptosis by regulating the mRNA levels of bxl-xl, caspase 3, caspase 8, caspase 9 and bcl-2. However, there was no significant effect on the level of bax mRNA in any of the treatment groups. In summary, proper dietary supplementation with AOS exerted positive effects on growth, intestinal digestion and absorption function, immune antioxidant responses, and apoptosis pathways to a certain extent. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Antioxidants and Aquatic Animal Health—3rd Edition)

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23 pages, 5666 KB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Dietary Luteolin on the Growth Performance and Intestinal Health of Juvenile GIFT Tilapia

by Xiangli Li, Huige Ren, Jianting Lu, Yonggang Mo, Jingyi Du, Ye Qian, Xiao Peng, Zihe Guo, Chanxia Qin, Chengrui Huang, Kai Huang, Yinghui Zhang and Weihao Ou

Antioxidants 2026, 15(8), 933; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15080933 - 28 Jul 2026

Viewed by 317

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of luteolin on the growth performance and intestinal health of juvenile Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT, Oreochromis niloticus). A total of 450 juvenile GIFT tilapia (initial body weight 8.12 ± 0.04 g) were randomly assigned to five groups (90 fish per group; three replicate tanks of 30 fish each) and fed diets containing luteolin at 0, 50, 150, 300, or 600 mg/kg (CG, LG50, LG150, LG300, and LG600, respectively) for 56 days. The results showed that with increasing luteolin supplementation, the weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) first increased and then decreased; the LG300 group had the highest WGR and SGR (significantly higher than the CG and LG600 groups, p < 0.05) and the lowest feed conversion ratio. Based on broken-line and quadratic polynomial regression analyses of the WGR and SGR, the optimal dietary luteolin supplementation level was determined to be 274.14–303.39 mg/kg. For intestinal antioxidant enzyme activities and oxidative stress, total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity in the LG150 and LG300 groups was significantly higher than in the CG and LG600 groups (p < 0.05), and superoxide anion (O₂⁻) content in the LG300 group was significantly lower than in the CG, LG50, and LG600 groups (p < 0.05). Histological analysis of the intestine revealed that muscular layer thickness was significantly greater in the LG300 group than in the CG group (p < 0.05). Intestinal microbiota analysis indicated that compared with the CG group, the LG300 group showed lower relative abundances of the potential pathogens Plesiomonas and Bosea, whereas it had a higher relative abundance of the potentially beneficial bacteria Bacteroidota and Romboutsia. Intestinal untargeted metabolomics revealed that, compared with the CG group, the beneficial metabolites Chrysoeriol, Laricitrin, and Docosahexaenoylethanolamine were significantly up-regulated, whereas the biotoxins Aplysiatoxin, 17-Debromo- and Pectenotoxin 3 were significantly down-regulated in the LG300 group (p-adjust < 0.05), with the up-regulated metabolites significantly enriched in the flavone and flavonol biosynthesis pathway (p-adjust < 0.05). Collectively, dietary supplementation with an appropriate level (300 mg/kg) of luteolin can effectively improve the growth performance and intestinal health of juvenile GIFT tilapia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Antioxidants and Aquatic Animal Health—3rd Edition)

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18 pages, 3648 KB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Efficacy of Monobutyrin, Tributyrin, Sodium Butyrate, and Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate on Growth, Intestinal Health, and Nitrite Stress Resistance in Penaeus monodon

by Yafei Duan, Ruijie Zhu, Yun Wang, Jianhua Huang, Song Jiang, Qibin Yang, Yundong Li, Jianzhi Shi, Yukai Yang, Lishi Yang, Yangyang Ding and Falin Zhou

Antioxidants 2026, 15(8), 929; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15080929 - 27 Jul 2026

Viewed by 326

Abstract

Intestinal health is crucial for the growth and stress resistance of shrimp. Butyrate, a beneficial metabolite of intestinal microbiota and the primary energy substrate for enterocytes, exerts regulatory effects on intestinal health. Butyrates exist in various chemical forms, yet their application in shrimp remains limited. Therefore, in this study, Penaeus monodon were fed diets supplemented with 1% four types of butyrate (monobutyrin, MB; tributyrin, TB; sodium butyrate, SB; poly-β-hydroxybutyrate, PHB) for 56 days, followed by 48 h of acute nitrite stress. A systematic investigation into their influences on the shrimp growth, intestinal health and nitrite stress resistance was conducted. The results showed that the four butyrate types significantly increased the weight gain rate of the shrimp by more than 25% and improved the survival rate under nitrite stress by more than 28% when compared with the control group (p < 0.05). They also improved intestinal mucosal integrity, and enhanced intestinal antioxidant and immune capacities through the activation of the Nrf2 pathway and the upregulation of immune gene expression. Specifically, T-AOC and SOD activities, as well as the expression levels of Nrf2, GPx, Trx, ALF, Pen3, and serP genes, were significantly upregulated in all four butyrate groups, while MDA content was significantly decreased (p < 0.05). In addition, LPO content, CAT and ASC activities, and the expression of HO1, SOD, Crus, and proPO genes exhibited differential changes among the four butyrate groups. Furthermore, the intestinal microflora structure was reshaped by all four butyrate variants, with notable reductions in pathogenic Vibrio alongside elevated abundances of advantageous taxa including Rhodobacteraceae. In conclusion, butyrate can facilitate the growth and anti-stress capacity of P. monodon by improving intestinal health, with the overall efficacy ranked as TB, PHB, MB and SB under the present study conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Antioxidants and Aquatic Animal Health—3rd Edition)

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17 pages, 1613 KB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of Nutritional Profiles and Antioxidant Capacity in the Muscle of Procambarus clarkii Farmed Across Various Rice Paddy Regions in Eastern China

by Linjun Zhou, Chonghang Ding, Rui Jia, Yiran Hou, Chengfeng Zhang, Liqiang Zhang, Bing Li and Jian Zhu

Antioxidants 2026, 15(7), 887; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15070887 - 17 Jul 2026

Viewed by 363

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the regional differences in Procambarus clarkii via analyzing amino acid and fatty acid profiles, minerals, antioxidant capacity, and metabolic profiles from ten major producing areas in China. The results showed that P. clarkii cultured in rice fields was a high-quality source of amino acids and fatty acids. The P. clarkii collected from Feixi and Suqian city exhibited higher amino acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, whereas those from Honghu and Jianli city displayed lower unsaturated fatty acids. Mineral profiles showed clear regional heterogeneity, with K and Na as the predominant elements; Feixi city was characterized by relatively high K and Mg levels, while Nanxian and Honghu city showed higher Zn and Fe accumulation. Moreover, antioxidant-related indicators showed region-specific and mixed patterns, indicating that antioxidant status should be interpreted based on multiple biomarkers rather than any single indicator. Metabolomic profiling also revealed clear geographic clustering, with regional differences mainly associated with amino acid and lipid metabolism. Overall, the nutritional composition and antioxidant capacity of P. clarkii muscle exhibited clear regional variability. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for quality evaluation in P. clarkii aquaculture and offer practical guidance for refining the development models and strategic direction of integrated rice–crayfish farming across different regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Antioxidants and Aquatic Animal Health—3rd Edition)

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30 pages, 7647 KB

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Methionine Affects Lipid Metabolism and Ferroptosis-Related Responses to Modulate Oxidative Stress Induced by High-Lipid-Diet in Golden Pompano (Trachinotus ovatus)

by Bissih Fred, Kaimin Cheng, Agyenim Godfred Boateng, Junming Deng, Beiping Tan, Asare Derrick and Shuyan Chi

Antioxidants 2026, 15(7), 873; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15070873 - 14 Jul 2026

Viewed by 457

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of high-lipid diets (HLD) with methionine (Met) supplementations on golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus). T. ovatus (initial weight 82 ± 0.04 g) were fed with a normal lipid control diet (11.30% crude lipid and 1.04% Met, NLM) and HLDs (18% crude lipid) supplemented with varying Met levels (1.04%, 1.14%, 1.24%, 1.34%, 1.44%, 1.54% and 1.64%) namely HLM1, HLM2, HLM3, HLM4, HLM5, HLM6 and HLM7, respectively. After 56 days of feeding trial, the growth performance such as weight gain rate was significantly elevated in the HLM3 (p < 0.05). The liver lipid droplets area, sum of n-3 and n-6 poly-unsaturated fatty acids and fatty acid synthesis genes were elevated in the HLM1 and HLM7, while the genes for lipid breakdown were elevated in the HLM3. Based on the groups NLM, HLM1, and HLM3, the transcriptome sequence data revealed critical associated lipid metabolism, classic antioxidant pathway nrf2 and ferroptosis markers were influenced by Met and higher lipid. The fish livers in HLD groups with lower or higher Met showed the phenomenon of lipid oxidation obviously, while the reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde were considerably lowered in the liver of fish in group HLM3 (p < 0.05). The hepatic Met was significantly reduced while cysteine was elevated in the HLM3 compared to HLM7 (p < 0.05). Fe and ferroptosis inducers were significantly upregulated in the liver of HLM1 and HLM7. HLM3 elevated anti-ferroptosis and anti-inflammation markers. In conclusion, Met inclusion in the HLD was associated with nrf2/keap1 and critical anti-ferroptosis-related transcriptional responses and regulated lipid metabolism in T. ovatus. The quadratic regression model revealed the optimal dietary Met in the HLD as 1.32%, which will help formulators make more rational and effective use of dietary lipid to support the better growth of golden pompano. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Antioxidants and Aquatic Animal Health—3rd Edition)

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17 pages, 412 KB

Open AccessArticle

Functional Evaluation of Pomegranate (Punica granatum) Juice Byproducts as Dietary Additives in Red Seabream (Pagrus major): Effects on Growth Performance, Antioxidant Response, Immunity, and Resistance to Edwardsiella tarda

by Ki-Tae Kim, Tae Hoon Lee, Hwa Yong Oh, Da Ye Kang, Do Hyun Kwon, Young Wook Kim, Bo Seong Gu, Dona Thilini Udarika Samaraweera and Hee Sung Kim

Antioxidants 2026, 15(4), 517; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15040517 - 21 Apr 2026

Viewed by 626

Abstract

This study evaluated the potential of pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice byproducts (PJB) as a functional dietary additive for juvenile red seabream (Pagrus major). Four experimental diets were formulated to contain various levels of PJB (0, 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 g/kg) and fed to fish with an initial body weight of 7.0 ± 0.01 g for 8 weeks. Growth performance, feed utilization, digestive enzyme activity, whole-body composition, plasma biochemical parameters, antioxidant responses, immune parameters, and resistance to Edwardsiella tarda infection were evaluated. Fish fed the diet containing 2.5 g/kg PJB exhibited significantly higher final body weight, weight gain, and specific growth rate compared with the control group and those with higher PJB doses, whereas feed intake, feed efficiency, and protein efficiency ratio were not significantly affected by dietary treatment. Intestinal trypsin and lipase activities were significantly elevated in the PJB2.5 group, whereas amylase activity remained unchanged. Whole-body proximate composition and plasma biochemical parameters, including aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total cholesterol, glucose, and total protein, were not significantly influenced by dietary PJB supplementation. Dietary inclusion of PJB at 2.5 g/kg also significantly enhanced plasma antioxidant enzyme activities, as evidenced by increased superoxide dismutase and glutathione levels, while catalase activity was elevated in fish fed the PJB2.5 and PJB5 diets. Innate immune responses were also stimulated, with significantly higher serum lysozyme activity and interleukin-1 levels observed in fish fed the PJB2.5 diet. Following experimental challenge with E. tarda, fish fed diets containing 2.5 and 5.0 g/kg PJB exhibited significantly higher cumulative survival than the control group. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with PJB at 2.5 g/kg improved growth performance, digestive capacity, antioxidant status, innate immune responses, and disease resistance in juvenile P. major without adverse physiological effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Antioxidants and Aquatic Animal Health—3rd Edition)

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21 pages, 2592 KB

Open AccessArticle

Harmine Targets Peroxiredoxin 6 to Enhance Macrophage Immunity Against Pseudomonas plecoglossicida in Ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis)

by Yan-Jun Liu, Xiang Li, Yi-Fang Jiang, Ran Wang, Jing Yu, Zhi-Guo Liu, Jia-Feng Cao, Guan-Jun Yang and Jiong Chen

Antioxidants 2026, 15(4), 477; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox15040477 - 11 Apr 2026

Viewed by 803

Abstract

Pseudomonas plecoglossicida causes bacterial hemorrhagic ascites in ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis), a lethal disease characterized by abdominal distension with hemorrhagic ascites, multifocal organ hemorrhages, and histopathologically evident hepatocellular necrosis and inflammatory infiltration. The lack of effective treatments exacerbates mass mortalities, posing a significant threat to aquaculture. Given the severe pathogenesis of P. plecoglossicida infection—which involves bacterial colonization, tissue necrosis, and host immune dysregulation—effective therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. Through a screen of traditional Chinese medicine monomers, we identified harmine, an indole alkaloid derived from Peganum harmala seeds, as a potent agent against this pathogen. In vivo, harmine exhibited direct bactericidal activity by disrupting membrane integrity, as evidenced by increasing membrane permeability, and inhibiting biofilm formation. In an ayu infection model, harmine significantly increased host survival, reduced tissue bacterial load, and enhanced innate immunity by augmenting monocyte/macrophage phagocytosis and bactericidal capacity while suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokine release and apoptosis. Mechanistically, the Drug Affinity Responsive Target Stability assay was used to identify the molecular target of harmine, followed by functional validation through PRDX6−knockdown experiments. Harmine exhibited direct bactericidal activity by disrupting membrane integrity and inhibiting biofilm formation. In the ayu infection model, harmine significantly increased host survival, reduced tissue bacteria1 load, and enhanced innate immunity by augmenting monocyte/macrophage system and bactericidal capacity while suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokine release and apoptosis, the latter likely through modulation of PRDX6−mediated oxidative stress and downstream caspase signaling. Mechanistically, DARTS revealed that harmine binds to peroxiredoxin 6 (PRDX6), a multifunctional enzyme possessing peroxidase, phospholipase A₂, and lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase activities. This binding liberates TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6), facilitating its mitochondrial translocation and association with the ECSIT signaling integrator complex, thereby amplifying mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) production and potentiating macrophage-mediated bacterial killing. These findings establish harmine as a promising therapeutic candidate for controlling P. plecoglossicida infections and underscore the value of host-directed immunomodulation derived from natural products in aquaculture medicine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Antioxidants and Aquatic Animal Health—3rd Edition)

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