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Antioxidants
Special Issues
Natural Antioxidants and Aquatic Animal Health—3rd Edition
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Natural Antioxidants and Aquatic Animal Health—3rd Edition

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 1202

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Rui Jia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuxi, China
Interests: aquatic animals; pharmacology; toxicology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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-blind 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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Published Papers (2 papers)

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17 pages, 412 KB  
Article
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 384
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 [...] Read more.
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  
Article
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 510
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 [...] Read more.
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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