Applications of chitosan and chitosan nanoparticles in fish aquaculture

Abstract

Aquaculture aims to provide stable environmental conditions for fish to be able to grow and protect it from stress and diseases. In order to guarantee a sustainable yield of fish species, well-balanced diets should be considered. For this purpose, diets supplemented with feed additives have won the interest of researchers who are concerned with the aquaculture field, the most important of which are chitosan and chitosan nanoparticles. Chitosan [β-(1-4)-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine] is a cationic biopolymer, derived from the alkaline deacetylation of chitin; a natural polymer found in the exoskeletons of insects, crustaceans and fungal cell walls. Chitosan nanoparticles were synthesized either by chemical or physical cross linking. Chitosan nanoparticles are favored due to their large surface area, bioavailability and deep penetration to the target sites. Chitosan and chitosan nanoparticles have several unique biological properties that enable them to act as promising materials in variable applications, including biosafety, biocompatibility, improved solubility and biodegradability. The afore-mentioned properties enabled them to be used in several applications in fish aquaculture, such as enhancing growth performance and immune functions. Moreover, they act as safe feed additives, drug carriers and are widely used in water treatment as well. The applications of chitosan and chitosan nanoparticles in fish aquaculture attracted the interest of many researchers. The present review covered all information concerning the effect of chitosan and chitosan nanoparticles on fish, including antioxidant activity, growth enhancement and immunostimulatory effects. The discussed studies in the current review proved that chitosan and chitosan nanoparticles are regarded as promising materials with wide applications in fish aquaculture.

Metallic and non-metallic nanoparticles from plant, animal, and fisheries wastes: potential and valorization for application in agriculture

“…In another study, nano-chitosan/zeolite composite at 5 g/kg had the potential to enhance growth performance, digestive enzyme activities, and some biochemical parameters in rainbow trout (Sheikhzadeh et al 2017 ). The applications of chitosan and chitosan nanoparticles attracted the interest of many researchers in the field of aquaculture, including antioxidant activity, growth enhancement, and immunostimulatory effects (El-Naggar et al 2022 ).…”

Nano-Curcumin/Chitosan Modulates Growth, Biochemical, Immune, and Antioxidative Profiles, and the Expression of Related Genes in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus

“…Chitosan (Ch) is a natural additives also used to enhance aquatic feeds. Ch is obtained through the deacetylation of crustacean chitin and is characterized by safety, compatibility, affordability, and biodegradability [21,22]. The inclusion of Ch in the diet of juvenile loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, enhanced weight gain, lipid metabolism, and health status and modulated gut microbiota [23].…”

“…Ch improves the growth, immunity, and health status of C. carpio and O. niloticus [24,25]. Furthermore, the use of Ch nanoparticles is more efficient than the normal form due to their high surface area, higher bioavailability, easy absorption, and efficient delivery to the target site [22]. Dietary Ch nanoparticles significantly improved Nile tilapia growth performance and antioxidant status and stim-ulated immune responses [26].…”

Effect of Lissachatina fulica chitosan on the antioxidant and lipid profile of hypercholesterolemic male Wistar rats

“…Chitosan [β-(1-4)-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine] belongs to the amino polysaccharide group, a cationic natural biopolymer with unique characteristics, and is used in the biomedical industry. One of the benefits is for biomedical drug delivery, and also can be used for the pharmaceutical industry (Brunner et al, 2009;El-Naggar et al, 2022;Pillai et al, 2009;Wang et al, 2017;Yen and Mau, 2007). Thus, this research is critical because there has not been any information about chitosan from snail shells.…”