Effect of long-term dietary supplementation with lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, oil on European seabass growth performance, innate immunity, antioxidant status, and organ histomorphometry

• Published in: Aquaculture international Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 3275 - 3293
• Main Authors: Abdel-Rahim, Mohamed M., Elhetawy, Ashraf. I. G., Mansour, Abdallah Tageldein, Mohamed, Radi A., Lotfy, Ayman M., Sallam, Ahmed E., Shahin, Shimaa A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.06.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Albumins; Antioxidants; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Body organs; Dicentrarchus labrax; Diet; Enzymatic activity; Enzyme activity; Enzymes; Feed conversion; Feeding experiments; Fish; Fish stocking; Food conversion; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Gills; Hepatocytes; Immunity; Lavandula angustifolia; Life Sciences; Marine fishes; Proteins; Restocking; Stocking density; Tanks; Zoology; Innate immunity; Histomorphology; Digestion; Growth; Lavender oil; Antioxidants status
• ISSN: 0967-6120; 1573-143X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10499-023-01322-1

A long-term feeding trial (90 days) was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with lavender oil (LO) on the growth performance, innate immunity, antioxidant status, and histomorphometry of different organs of juvenile European seabass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ). Four groups in triplicate were fed increasing levels of LO (0, 1, 2, and 3 kg −1 diet, expressed as F0, F1, F2, and F3, respectively). Fish weighing 76.87 ± 0.14 g/fish were stocked in 1000-L tanks at an initial stocking density of 25 fish. The results revealed that growth performance and feed utilization indices were significantly improved in the LO-treated groups compared to the control, with the highest values in favor of the F2 group. According to the polynomial second-order regression, the optimal dietary level of LO averaged 2.15–2.24 g/kg diet. Whole body protein and digestive enzyme activities were increased with increasing LO supplementation levels up to 2 mL kg −1 . Fish-fed F2 diet exhibited a significant decrease in serum liver function enzymes. A considerable increase in total protein, albumin, and total immunoglobulin was reported in LO-supplemented groups over the control. Dietary LO significantly modulated antioxidant status by increasing antioxidant enzyme activities and decreasing malondialdehyde levels. Microscopic investigation of the gills, liver, and mid-intestine revealed that LO-treated fish had healthier histological features, with normal gill lamella and hepatocytes, and a positive effect of LO on intestinal villi length and goblet cell count. The LO could be used as a dietary supplement in the diet of seabass at the recommended level of 2 g kg −1 to improve growth, feed conversion, physiological status, and organ histomorphometry.