Speaking of stress…scientists at the ICAR – National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management in India are exploring the use of dietary copper to help reduce stress and improve the health of fish exposed to environmental pollutants such as arsenic. Copper is an essential element for animals and humans. It is involved in bone formation and growth, nervous system function, metabolism, immune system function, and antioxidant production.1
Warming aquatic temperatures are especially problematic as they promote acidification, which can increase the release of toxic metals such as arsenic into the water in addition to increasing the risk of infections. Arsenic is a carcinogen found in agricultural, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and microelectronic pollutants. Exposure of fish to such environmental stressors results in the upregulation of genes associated with oxidative stress responses, heat stress, and immune function, which not only harms the fish, but can reduce the quality and safety of the fish for human consumption.1
Striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus), marketed in the US as Swai, are found in rivers in several regions including Belize, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Southeast Asia, and the United States and are a popular fish in aquaculture.2 In a new study, researchers fed striped catfish diets containing varying amounts of added copper. They found that dietary copper prevented increases in the hormone cortisol and other biomarkers of stress in fish exposed to environmental arsenic, low pH (6.5) and/or high temperature (34 deg C). Dietary copper also diminished oxidative stress, DNA damage, inflammation, and prevented high blood sugar in response to these environmental stressors. In addition, supplementation prevented stress-induced decreases in growth hormone, bioaccumulation of arsenic in body tissues, and reduced mortality of fish with bacterial infections.
Exploration of such dietary interventions is an important strategy in maintaining the health of fish and the humans and animals that consume them, especially with the rise in aquatic pollutants and other environmental stressors.
Sources:
1N Kumar, ST Thorat, SR Chavhan. Multifunctional role of dietary copper to regulate stress-responsive gene for mitigation of multiple stresses in Pangasianodon hypophthalmus. Scientific Reports. 14: 2252, 2024.
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Categories: Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Livestock, Climate Change, Diet and Exercise, Environment, Stress, Urbanization
Tags: arsenic, Copper, fish, pollution, Striped catfish
Life Lines by Dr. Dolittle 
