Effects of Dietary Exposure to Zearalenone (ZEN) on Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

Abstract

The mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEN) is frequently contaminating animal feeds including feed used in aquaculture. In the present study, the effects of dietary exposure to ZEN on carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) were investigated. ZEN at three different concentrations (low dose: 332 µg kg−1, medium dose: 621 µg kg−1 and high dose: 797 µg kg−1 final feed, respectively) was administered to juvenile carp for four weeks. Additional groups received the mycotoxin for the same time period but were fed with the uncontaminated diet for two more weeks to examine the reversibility of the ZEN effects. No effects on growth were observed during the feeding trial, but effects on haematological parameters occurred. In addition, an influence on white blood cell counts was noted whereby granulocytes and monocytes were affected in fish treated with the medium and high dose ZEN diet. In muscle samples, marginal ZEN and α-zearalenol (α-ZEL) concentrations were detected. Furthermore, the genotoxic potential of ZEN was confirmed by analysing formation of micronuclei in erythrocytes. In contrast to previous reports on other fish species, estrogenic effects measured as vitellogenin concentrations in serum samples were not increased by dietary exposure to ZEN. This is probably due to the fact that ZEN is rapidly metabolized in carp.

Occurrence of mycotoxins in commercial aquafeeds in Asia and Europe: a real risk to aquaculture?

“…For carp ( Cyprinus carpio L.), Pietsch et al . () investigated ZEN at three different concentrations (332, 621 and 797 μ g kg −1 ) for 4 weeks. The authors observed no effect on growth, but effects on haematological parameters were confirmed.…”

“…Among aquaculture-farmed species, when black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon Fabricius) were fed 500 and 1000 lg kg À1 ZEN-contaminated feed, histological changes were observed in hepatopancreatic tissue (Supamattaya et al 2005). For carp (Cyprinus carpio L.), Pietsch et al (2015) investigated ZEN at three different concentrations (332, 621 and 797 lg kg À1 ) for 4 weeks. The authors observed no effect on growth, but effects on haematological parameters were confirmed.…”

On the sustainability of aquaponics

“…Both environmental and economic sustainability could be improved significantly by either formulating alternative fish feeds, and/or by reducing the fish meal and fish oil in the feeds (Tacon and Metian 2013;World Bank 2013). Also, the contamination of feeds with mycotoxins, which can originate from feed-borne ingredients or from bad storage conditions, is often overlooked, which is dangerous since they can cause many health problems of fish, reduce yield and economic sustainability (Pietsch et al 2013;Pietsch et al 2015).…”

Mycotoxins in aquaculture: feed and food

“…In common Carp ( C. carpio ), Pietsch et al . () found that after exposing fish to 4 weeks with 332, 621 and 797 μg ZEN kg −1 feed, minor residues of ZEN and α‐ZEN were found in the muscle. Interestingly, after 2 weeks of depuration, α‐ZEN was not detected and ZEN levels in the muscle decreased significantly (Table ).…”

“…Generally, ZEN studies have focused mainly on dysfunction or structural disorders in the reproductive tract of farm animals (Zinedine et al 2007;Minervini & Aquila 2008;Wo zny et al 2013). While it seems that ZEN does not directly affect the growth performance of aquaculture-farmed species, its deposition in fish tissues seems to be common and already well documented particularly in cold water species (Arukwe et al 1999;Pietsch et al 2015;Wo zny et al 2015Wo zny et al , 2017.…”