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The aim of study was to evaluate the effects of jaft (internal layer of oak fruit) extract on growth, haematological and immunological parameters in rainbow trout fingerlings. A total of 360 fish (average weight 6.25 g, total length 7.75 cm) were randomly distributed in 12 fibreglass tanks (stocking density: 1.04 g L À1 ) with flow rate of 8 L min À1 . The ethanolic extraction of jaft was taken, and, then, a basal diet was supplemented with 0 (control), 0.5, 1 and 2 g kg À1 to formulate four experimental diets. After 8 weeks, blood sampling was performed for haematological and immunological parameters. While immunological parameters such as IgM and lysozyme showed their lowest level in control group, their highest amounts appeared in 2 g kg À1 group. C3, C4 and alternative complement activity increased in fish fed 2 g kg À1 extract compared to control (P ˂ 0.05). Haematological parameters such as white blood cell, red blood cell, haemoglobin and haematocrit were enhanced in experimental groups (P ˂ 0.05). Survival and growth indices did not show significant changes in experimental treatments (P ˃ 0.05). Results indicated feeding rainbow trout with Persian oak extract at 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 g kg À1 levels significantly enhance the immunological parameters.

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A combination of probiotics and prebiotics as synbiotics allows assessing their synergistic effects. This study evaluated the effects of a synbiotic supplement on growth performance, haematological parameters and resistance to Saprolegnia parasitica in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) fingerlings. Fish fed a dietary synbiotic in three levels of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 g kg−1 thrice a day. The fingerlings were challenged with Saprolegnia parasitica after 60 days post feeding and their mortalities recorded up to 15 days. The fingerlings at all three experimental treatments showed significant (P < 0.05) increases in final mean weights and specific growth rates (SGR). The best feed conversion ratio (FCR), feed conversion efficiency (FCE) and maximum survival rate were also obtained by the fish fed 1.0 g synbiotic kg−1 diet. Furthermore, supplementation with synbiotic significantly increased blood factors at all treatments. After challenges with Saprolegnia parasitica, the synbiotic‐fed groups showed significantly higher survival rates compared with the control group. These results reveal that a dietary synbiotic of 1.0 g kg−1 fed for 60 days leads to increased growth performance and survival rate as well as improved feeding efficiency in rainbow trout fingerling, rendering them more resistant against infection by Saprolegnia parasitica.

Background:Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the loss of pancreatic islets. Islet allotransplantation is a potentially beneficial therapeutic approach for diabetes. Islets suffer a variety of cellular insults including ischemia and partial vascular loss during isolation, resulting in a significant reduction in viability prior to transplantation. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of angiogenic microRNA (miRNA)-126 and -210 on islet function and viability in an indirect way. Methods:Poly Ethylenimine (PEI)-miRNA-126 and -210 polyplexes were constructed at various Nitrogen/Phosphate (N/P) ratios. After confirmation by gel retardation and ethidium bromide dye exclusion assay, its cytotoxicity and transfection efficiency were analyzed by MTT and fluorescent assays, respectively. After that, the selected polyplexes were used to transfect Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) in vitro and were indirectly co-cultured with islet cells for three days. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunoassay were conducted to verify the regulation of target genes and the functionality of the islets. Results:The findings showed that PEI could condense miRNAs at N/P=5. The viability of the HUVECs was decreased by increasing the amount of PEI. Additionally, ployplex-126 and -210 led to a decrease in the expressions of target genes, phosphoinositol-3 kinase regulatory subunit 2, sprouty-related EVH1 domain-containing protein 1, and ephrin-A3 in the islets. Moreover, the expressions of Bax and Bcl2 and their ratio in the treated groups by polyplex-126 and -210 led to better survival and function of the islets, with a higher expression of insulin and response to glucose stimulations. Furthermore, polyplex-210 could downregulate the anti-angiogenic protein, thrombospondin 1, compared to the other groups. Finally, the secretion of C-peptide was higher in polyplex-210 than in the other groups, adjusted for insulin secretion. Conclusion:The results indicated that angiogenic miRNAs could promote the survival and function of islet cells by interacting with their targets.