Metabolism and Nutrition in Fish

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2025) | Viewed by 5807

Special Issue Editors

School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China
Interests: lipid metabolism; intestinal health; fish; nutrition and environment

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China
Interests: fish; lipid metabolism; immunity; feed additives

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Mariculture and Stock Enhancement in North China’s Sea (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs), Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China
Interests: nutrition metabolism and feed formulation of aquatic animals, including finfish, sea urchin, sea cucumber, and crustaceans

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid expansion of the aquaculture industry necessitates a deep understanding of fish’s nutrition and metabolism. These aspects not only impact fish health and yield but also have economic implications. We are pleased to invite you to submit your research for this Special Issue of “Metabolites”, dedicated to studies on fish’s nutrition and metabolism. This Special Issue aims to showcase studies on novel ingredients (e.g., protein, lipid, and carbohydrates) and functional feed additives (e.g., polysaccharides, plant extracts, bile acids, and bacterial products) in fish. By providing a broad and precise perspective on nutrition and metabolism, this Special Issue will contribute to the advancement of sustainable aquaculture practices.

The submission of original research articles and reviews for this Special Issue is encouraged. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: fishmeal and fish oil replacements, novel feed additives, fish’s nutritional requirements, and fish environments.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Lei Wang
Dr. Peng Tan
Prof. Dr. Rantao Zuo
Guest Editors

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Metabolites 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 2700 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

  • fish
  • metabolism
  • nutrition
  • feed additives
  • lipid
  • protein
  • requirements

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 11389 KiB  
Article
Artemia Nauplii Enriched with Soybean Lecithin Enhances Growth Performance, Intestine Morphology, and Desiccation Stress Resistance in Yellow Drum (Nibea albiflora) Larvae
by Zhenya Zhou, Pian Zhang, Peng Tan, Ruiyi Chen, Weihua Hu, Ligai Wang, Yuming Zhang and Dongdong Xu
Metabolites 2025, 15(1), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo15010063 - 17 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1065
Abstract
The inherent deficiency of phospholipids in Artemia limits its nutritional value as live prey for marine fish larvae. In our previous study, we optimized a phospholipid enrichment method by incubating Artemia nauplii with 10 g of soybean lecithin per m3 of seawater [...] Read more.
The inherent deficiency of phospholipids in Artemia limits its nutritional value as live prey for marine fish larvae. In our previous study, we optimized a phospholipid enrichment method by incubating Artemia nauplii with 10 g of soybean lecithin per m3 of seawater for 12 h, significantly enhancing their phospholipid content. Purpose: The present study evaluated the impact of this enrichment on yellow drum (Nibea albiflora) larvae, focusing on growth performance, intestinal morphology, body composition, weaning success, and desiccation stress resistance. Methods: The larvae (12 days post-hatching, dph) were fed either soybean lecithin-enriched (SL group) or newly hatched (NH group) Artemia nauplii for 10 days. Results: By the end of the experiment, the SL group exhibited a markedly greater body weight and standard length compared to the NH group (p < 0.05). This growth improvement was due to enhanced intestinal morphology, characterized by a significantly higher mucosal fold height, microvillus density, and microvillus length (p < 0.05). Intestinal RNA sequencing identified 160 upregulated and 447 downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the SL group compared to the NH group. Soybean lecithin enrichment reduced the expression of lipogenesis-related genes (fasn, scd, elovl1) while upregulating lipid catabolism genes (ppara, cpt1, cpt2), indicating increased lipid breakdown and energy production. After a 5-day weaning period onto a commercial microdiet, the SL group continued to show significantly superior growth performance. In an afterward desiccation stress test, larvae from the SL group demonstrated significantly higher survival rates, potentially due to the decreased expression of intestinal cytokine genes (ccl13, mhc1, mhc2) observed in the RNA-seq analysis. Conclusions: This study highlights that feeding soybean lecithin-enriched Artemia nauplii enhances growth performance and desiccation stress in yellow drum larvae by promoting lipid catabolism, improving intestinal structure, and regulating immune responses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolism and Nutrition in Fish)
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 286 KiB  
Article
Rice-Fish Farming Improved Antioxidant Defences, Glucose Metabolism, and Muscle Nutrient of Carassius auratus in Sichuan Province
by Tao Yan, Yun-Yi Xie, Bo Zhou, Xu Kuang, Qing-Zhi Li, Feng-Qi Zhao, Qian-Dong Li and Bin He
Metabolites 2024, 14(12), 710; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo14120710 - 17 Dec 2024
Viewed by 993
Abstract
Rice-fish farming is an ancient and enduring aquaculture model in China. This study aimed to assess the variations in digestive enzymes, antioxidant properties, glucose metabolism, and nutritional content between Carassius auratus reared in paddy fields and ponds. Notably, the levels of amylase and [...] Read more.
Rice-fish farming is an ancient and enduring aquaculture model in China. This study aimed to assess the variations in digestive enzymes, antioxidant properties, glucose metabolism, and nutritional content between Carassius auratus reared in paddy fields and ponds. Notably, the levels of amylase and trypsin in C. auratus from rice paddies were considerably higher compared to those from ponds. Additionally, the hepatic catalase (CAT) activity in fish from paddy (2.45 ± 0.16 U/mg) exceeded that of their pond counterparts (2.27 ± 0.25 U/mg). Regarding glucose metabolism, the activities of key enzymes such as Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) (paddy: 82.45 ± 6.11 U/g; pond: 78.53 ± 7.18 U/g), hexokinase (HK) (paddy: 9.55 ± 0.58 U/g; pond: 8.83 ± 0.72 U/g), glucokinase (GK) (paddy: 4.09 ± 0.21 IU/g; pond: 3.44 ± 0.33 IU/g), glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) (paddy: 85.71 ± 4.49 IU/g; pond: 79.12 ± 9.34 IU/g), and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) (paddy: 47.23 ± 3.22 U/g; pond: 42.31 ± 4.93 U/g) were significantly elevated in rice paddy-cultured fish compared to those in ponds. Conversely, phosphor-pyruvate kinase (PK) (paddy: 418.15 ± 31.89 U/g; pond: 570.16 ± 56.06 U/g) activity was markedly reduced in the paddy group. Hepatic glycogen content (paddy: 15.70 ± 0.98 ng/g; pond: 14.91 ± 1.24 ng/g) was also substantially higher in fish from paddy, although no significant differences in muscle glycogen content (paddy: 7.14 ± 0.59 ng/g; pond: 6.70 ± 0.52 ng/g) were observed between the two environments. In terms of nutritional composition, fish raised in paddy exhibited higher crude protein (paddy: 18.46 ± 0.47 g/100 g muscle; pond: 15.57 ± 0.25 g/100 g muscle) and crude ash (paddy: 1.19 ± 0.02 g/100 g muscle; pond: 0.97 ± 0.02 g/100 g muscle) than those in ponds, whereas the crude fat (paddy: 0.87 ± 0.04 g/100 g muscle; pond: 1.66 ± 0.04 g/100 g muscle) was notably lower in paddy fish. Furthermore, fish from rice paddies had a greater total content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) (paddy: 4.25 ± 0.24 g/100 g muscle; pond: 6.73 ± 0.27 g/100 g muscle), non-essential amino acids (NEAA) (paddy: 9.04 ± 0.3 g/100 g muscle; pond: 7.19 ± 0.21 g/100 g muscle), and delicious amino acids (DAA) (paddy: 7.11 ± 0.2 g/100 g muscle; pond: 5.45 ± 0.19 g/100 g muscle) compared to those from pond cultures. These findings suggest that rice-fish co-culture systems can yield healthier and more environmentally sustainable aquatic products by improving feed digestion and optimizing nutrient metabolism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolism and Nutrition in Fish)
12 pages, 4161 KiB  
Article
Hyperglycosylation as an Indicator of Aging in the Bone Metabolome of Oryzias latipes
by Remi O. Labeille, Justin Elliott, Hussain Abdulla and Frauke Seemann
Metabolites 2024, 14(10), 525; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo14100525 - 27 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1368
Abstract
Chronological aging of bone tissues is a multi-faceted process that involves a complex interplay of cellular, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms. Metabolites play a crucial role for bone homeostasis, and a changed metabolome is indicative for bone aging, although bone metabolomics are currently understudied. [...] Read more.
Chronological aging of bone tissues is a multi-faceted process that involves a complex interplay of cellular, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms. Metabolites play a crucial role for bone homeostasis, and a changed metabolome is indicative for bone aging, although bone metabolomics are currently understudied. The vertebral bone metabolome of the model fish Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) was employed to identify sex-specific markers of bone aging. 265 and 213 metabolites were differently expressed in 8-month-old vs. 3-month-old female and male fish, respectively. The untargeted metabolomics pathway enrichment analysis indicated a sex-independent increased hyperglycosylation in 8-month-old individuals. The upregulated glycosylation pathways included glycosphingolipids, glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchors, O-glycans, and N-glycans. UDP-sugars and sialic acid were found to be major drivers in regulating glycosylation pathways and metabolic flux. The data indicate a disruption of protein processing at the endoplasmic reticulum and changes in O-glycan biosynthesis. Dysregulation of glycosylation, particularly through the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway, may contribute to bone aging and age-related bone loss. The results warrant further investigation into the functional involvement of increased glycosylation in bone aging. The potential of glycan-based biomarkers as early warning systems for bone aging should be explored and would aid in an advanced understanding of the progression of bone diseases such as osteoporosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolism and Nutrition in Fish)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2334 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Study on the Muscle and Gut Microbiota of Opsariichthys bidens from Rice Field and Pond Culture Breeding Modes
by Fan Zhou, Weichao Bu, Hongjie Fan, Shuirong Guo, Ming Qi, Gaohua Yao, Yijiang Bei, Yuanfei Huang, Shicheng Zhu, Xueyan Ding and Xingwei Xiang
Metabolites 2024, 14(8), 443; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo14080443 - 9 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1653
Abstract
To investigate difference in the quality of the different parts (back, tail muscles, and fish skin) of Opsariichthys bidens from pond and rice field cultures, a comparative study was conducted in terms of nutritional composition, volatile flavor profiles and gut microbiota. In detail, [...] Read more.
To investigate difference in the quality of the different parts (back, tail muscles, and fish skin) of Opsariichthys bidens from pond and rice field cultures, a comparative study was conducted in terms of nutritional composition, volatile flavor profiles and gut microbiota. In detail, the texture, free amino acids, fatty acids were further assessed. The results suggested that the moisture content, crude protein and crude fat content in the skin of O. bidens are higher than those in the back and tail muscles, regardless of breeding modes. The fish cultured in the rice field had a higher protein content than those from the pond culture, while the fat content of the rice field-cultured fish was significantly low compared to the fish from the pond culture, especially in the back and tail parts. A total of 43 volatile components were detected by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), with a maximum of 18 types of aldehydes and the highest concentration being nonanal. Compared to pond cultures, the fish from the rice field cultures showed more abundant flavor composition and odor-active compounds. The total content of DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) in the rice field-cultured fish was higher than that of the pond group, while no significant disparity in amino acid composition was observed (p > 0.05). Comparative and clustering analyses of gut microbiota revealed notable discrepancies in the gut microbiota of O. bidens from two aquaculture systems. However, an inherent correlation between the gut microbiome and meat quality would be further emphasized in further studies. This study can offer a theoretical reference for the development of high-quality aquatic products by selecting the appropriate aquaculture models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolism and Nutrition in Fish)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop