Abstract. Ergosan contains 1% alginic acid extracted from two brown sea weeds. Little is known about the target organs and anatomical distribution of Ergosan (alginic acid) in fi sh. Therefore, feasibility of developing alginic acid nanoparticles to detect target organ in rainbow trout is interesting. To make nanoparticles, Ergosan extract (alginic acid) was irradiated at 30 kGy in a cobalt-60 irradiator and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results from TEM images showed that particle sizes of irradiated alginic acid ranged from 30 to 70 nm. The FTIR results indicated that gamma irradiation had no signifi cant infl uence on the basic structure of alginic acid. Later, alginic acid nanoparticles were successively labelled with 67 Ga-gallium chloride. The biodistribution of irradiated Ergosan in normal rainbow trout showed highest uptake in intestine and kidney and then in liver and kidney at 4-and 24-h post injection, respectively. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images also demonstrated target specifi c binding of the tracer at 4-and 24-h post injection. In conclusion, the feed supplemented with alginic acid nanoparticles enhanced SPECT images of gastrointestinal morphology and immunity system in normal rainbow trout.

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Length-weight (LWR) and length-length (LLR) relationships was estimated for three fish species collected in Chahnimeh reservoirs located in the city of Zabol, Iran. The values of the parameter slope (b) in the length-weight relationship were determined 2.45 for Crossocheilus latius, 2.97 for Schizocypris altidorsalis and 3.14 for Schizothorax zarudnyi. The relationships between TL, FL and SL were all linear (for all cases: r 2 > 0.93).

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of irradiated trophonts of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis and alginate/calcium phosphate nanoparticles on total sialic acid levels in immunized rainbow trout kidney, liver and spleen tissues. The 15 fish tissues of the treated and control groups were sampled at 30 days following the first immunization. Tissue samples were homogenized and centrifuged. The total sialic acid levels of the tissue samples were determined using a commercially available Quantitation Kit. Significant increases in kidney, spleen and liver TSA levels were determined in the treated groups in comparison to the controls. The immunosupportive effects of sialic acid were illustrated by the elevation in the amount of TSA in the kidneys, liver and spleen of the immunized fish. Also, the significant increase in the TSA levels in the rainbow trout treated with calcium phosphate nanoparticles could be attributed to the Ca-binding capacity of the glycerol side chain of the sialic acid. Finally, the results of this study showed that sialic acid may be a mediator in the development of long-circulating nanocarriers to advance the field of vaccine delivery in fish.Key words: alginate nanoparticles; calcium phosphate nanoparticles; total sialic acid; rainbow trout; gamma-irradiated Ichthyophthirius multifiliis ________________________________________________________________________________________ introduction Sialic acid is the biologically most important monosaccharide unit of glycoconjugates. Sialic acids are present in different types of vertebrate tissues of all classes (CABEZAS,