Papers by G. Cardinaletti
Fish Endocrinology (2 Vols.), 2006
Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 2005
Many synthetic chemicals, termed xenoestrogens, have been shown to interact as agonists with the ... more Many synthetic chemicals, termed xenoestrogens, have been shown to interact as agonists with the estrogen receptor (ER) to elicit biological responses similar to those of natural hormones. To date, the regulation of vitellogenesis in oviparous vertebrates has been widely used for evaluation of estrogenic effects. Therefore, Carassius auratus juveniles were chosen as a fish model for studying the effects of estradiol-17beta and different concentrations (10(-6) and 10(-7) M) of 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) on the expression of liver ERbeta-1 subtype; plasma vitellogenin and sex steroids (androgens and estradiol-17beta) were also evaluated together with the bioaccumulation process, through mass-spectrometry. C. auratus is a species widespread in the aquatic environment and, on the toxicological point of view, can be considered a good "sentinel" species. Juveniles of goldfish were maintained in tanks with only tap water or water with different concentrations (10(-6) and 10(-7) M) of 4-nonylphenol (4-NP), or 10(-7) M of estradiol-17beta. After 3 weeks of treatment, animals were anesthetized within 5 min after capture, and blood was immediately collected into heparinized syringes by cardiac puncture and stored at -70 degrees C; the gonads were fixed, then frozen and stored at -70 degrees C; the whole fish, liver, and muscle tissues were harvested and immediately stored at -70 degrees C for molecular biology experiments and bioaccumulation measurements. The estrogenic effects of 4-NP were evidenced by the presence of plasma vitellogenin in juveniles exposed both to estradiol-17beta and the two doses of 4-NP; moreover, exposure to 4-NP also increased aromatization of androgens, as suggested by decreasing androgens and increasing estradiol-17beta plasma levels. The changes of these parameters were in agreement with the increasing transcriptional rate of ERbeta-1 mRNA in the liver, demonstrating that both estradiol-17beta and 4-NP modulate the vitellogenin rate through interaction with the ERbeta-1 subtype. The present study also suggests that 4-NP at the concentration of 10(-6) M bioaccumulates in the liver.
Italian Journal of Animal Science, 2010
Earlier short-term studies have shown productivity of intensively farmed common sole (S. solea) t... more Earlier short-term studies have shown productivity of intensively farmed common sole (S. solea) to be closely dependent on rearing density. Irrespective of fish size, elevating crowding conditions led to declining growth rates while the effect of density on mortality remains controversial. To what extent water temperature could affect productivity of growing sole subjected to varying crowding conditions, warrants investigation as very few studies have tried to quantify the effects of this fundamental rearing parameter on growth and survival in this fish species. This is particularly crucial for developing suitable farming protocols in Italy, where common sole may experience a broad range of water temperatures throughout the rearing cycle. The aim of this study was to evaluate productivity and blood cortisol level as a measure of stress response, in growing sole subjected to different stocking densities and temperature conditions. Six hundred juveniles (ind. weight 21.8±1.5g) were randomly allotted among eight groups kept in 0.38m 2 (0.1m 3 ) rectangular vessels, according to a factorial design combining two stocking densities (D, 150 vs 300ind/m 2 ; i.e. 3.3 vs 6.5kg/m 2 ) and two rearing temperature ranges (T, 18-20 vs 22-24°C) with duplicate groups per treatment. Fish were fed over 148 days an extruded dry diet distributed at 1% biomass/d in two meals. After 32 and 134 days on trial, blood samples were obtained after caudal puncture from five specimens per group. Plasma cortisol levels were analysed by EIA. Growth performance, survival, feed conversion rate (FCR) and productivity (biomass gain/m 2 /d) were calculated per group at the end of the trial. All response variables were subjected to a twofactor ANOVA. No significant interaction was found between main factors for the various response parameters. The different rearing temperature did not affect (p>0.05) growth performance (final individual weight, 59±11g, specific growth rate, 0.67±0.11%d -1 ), survival (83.5±11%), FCR (1.6±0.2), productivity (35.5±5.8g/m 2 /d) or plasma cortisol levels (6.6±0.5ng/ml). Doubling the initial stocking density resulted in reduced growth (final weight, 49 vs 68.5g; specific growth rate, 0.59 vs 0.75, p<0.05), lower survival (76 vs 91.3%, p<0.05) and impaired FCR (1.8 vs 1.4, p<0.05). On the opposite, productivity was significantly improved at the higher density (39.1 vs 31.8g/m 2 /d) while plasma cortisol levels were unaffected by crowding. The results here obtained confirm a density-dependent growth performance in sole which appears unrelated to rearing temperature. Plasma cortisol levels did not suggest rearing density or water temperature to be chronic stressors within the range of values here investigated. In this study, sole was shown to be able to adapt to a wide range of intensive culture conditions. This could provide clues on possible farming strategies aimed at promoting fast growth and/or high productivity by modulating stocking density.
General and Comparative Endocrinology, 2008
Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) is an important gene implicated in different functions, such as the st... more Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) is an important gene implicated in different functions, such as the stress response of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. The aim of the present study was to determine whether farming conditions, such as stocking density, can be considered a powerful stressor influencing in turn the growth rate in juvenile fish. Thus, POMC cDNA expression was investigated during adaptation to farming conditions in sole (Solea solea), as a model for studying the effects of rearing densities on stress response; different stocking densities (50, 100, and 250 animals/m 2 ) were applied and, after 7 and 21 days, the fishes were examined for body weight and plasma cortisol levels as indicators of stress. In addition, proopiomelanocortin was cloned and sequenced from the brain of sole, allowing semi-quantitative RT-PCR to be performed to evaluate POMC mRNA expression in brain tissue. There was a significant increase in cortisol levels in fish reared at high stocking densities of 250/m 2 compared to fish reared at control densities of 100 and 50/m 2 , in both experimental times, i.e., 7 and 21 days. The high stocking densities were also found to decrease the specific growth rate of fish. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the highest stocking density induced a significant decrease in sole POMC mRNA expression. It is concluded that POMC and cortisol are both involved in the stress response due to high rearing densities, during which cortisol may serve as a negative regulator of POMC.
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 2013
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the modulation of acute stress response by die... more The objective of the present study was to evaluate the modulation of acute stress response by dietary nucleotides (NT) in sole, Solea solea. A basal diet was supplemented with levels of 0 (normal diet), or 0.4 g NT/kg dry diet for 8 weeks. At the end of feeding trial, fish fed the normal and NT-supplemented diet were subjected to a standardized protocol of disturbance and sampled over a 24 h recovery after the stressor exposure. Modulatory effects of NT on acute stress response (cortisol and glucose), proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and cannabinoid receptor 1 splice variants (CB1A and CB1B) mRNA levels were studied. Both plasma cortisol and glucose levels of fish fed NT-supplemented diet were significantly lower than fish fed the control diet at 1 and 4 h post-stress time-points. There are no significant effects of dietary NT on POMC and HSP70 mRNA levels. In our study, both CB1A and CB1B trascript levels were induced in fish fed the normal diet at 1 and 4 h post-stress intervals. Collectively, the results obtained suggest that dietary NT modulates the CB1-like receptor mRNA expressions leading to attenuation in stressor-induced plasma cortisol level in sole.
Aquaculture Nutrition, 2014
Considering the well-known problems arising from the use of rotifers and Artemia as live prey in ... more Considering the well-known problems arising from the use of rotifers and Artemia as live prey in larval rearing in terms of fatty acid deficiencies, the aim of this study was to evaluate a partial or complete replacement of traditional live prey with preserved copepods during the larviculture of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata). Sea bream larvae were randomly divided into 4 experimental groups in triplicates: group A larvae (control) fed rotifers followed by Artemia nauplii; group B fed a combined diet (50%) of rotifers-Artemia and preserved copepods; group C fed rotifers followed by preserved copepods; and group D fed preserved copepods solely. Survival and biometric data were analysed together with major molecular biomarkers involved in growth, lipid metabolism and appetite. Moreover, fatty acid content of prey and larvae was also analysed. At the end of 40 days treatment, a stress test, on the remaining larvae, was performed to evaluate the effects of different diets on stress response. Data obtained evidenced a positive effect of cofeeding preserved copepods during sea bream larviculture. Higher survival and growth were achieved in group B (fed combined diet) larvae respect to control. In addition, preserved copepods cofeeding was able to positively modulate genes involved in fish growth, lipid metabolism, stress response and appetite regulation.
Aquaculture, 2013
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Aquaculture, 2005
The efficacy of clove oil as an anesthetic was evaluated in juvenile European sea bass (Dicentrar... more The efficacy of clove oil as an anesthetic was evaluated in juvenile European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata), and was compared to the commonly used 2-phenoxyethanol through a series of experiments simulating aquaculture activities. Firstly, using as a criterion the acquisition of complete anesthesia (stage A5) in b3 min and recovery (stage R5) in b 10 min, the optimal doses at 25 8C were determined to be 40 mg l À1 of clove oil for both species, and 350 mg l À1 and 300 mg l À1 of 2-phenoxyethanol for European sea bass and gilthead sea bream, respectively. At 15 8C, the optimal doses for the European sea bass were determined to be around 30 mg l À1 clove oil and 300 mg l À1 2-phenoxyethanol, and for gilthead sea bream 55 mg l À1 clove oil and 450 mg l À1 2-phenoxyethanol. Increasing the exposure time of fish to the optimal anesthetic dose for 5, 10 or 15 min after stage A5 anesthesia prolonged recovery time (ANOVA, P b 0.001), especially in gilthead sea bream, which also suffered significant mortality (10-83%). As expected, the lower temperature resulted in significantly longer anesthesia induction and recovery times (ANOVA, P b 0.001), presumably due to the positive relationship between temperature, and opercular ventilation rates (ANOVA, P b 0.001) and metabolism. Finally, repeated exposure to anesthetics at 0 h, 3 h and 24 h increased significantly the induction time to stage A5 anesthesia (ANOVA, P b 0.001), suggesting the development of a slight tolerance, especially to the clove oil. The study demonstrated that clove oil can be used as an effective anesthetic in European sea bass and gilthead sea bream aquaculture, at almost 10-fold lower doses than 2-phenoxyethanol. The observed differences in (a) dose response, (b) anesthesia induction and recovery times, (c) ventilation rates and (d) mortality after prolonged exposure among the two species, underscore the need to undertake extensive studies with the specific fish species, anesthetic and 0044-8486/$ -see front matter D (C.C. Mylonas).
Animal Reproduction Science, 2009
February to 0.98 ± 0.26% in May (P < 0.05), apparently due to changes in the photo-thermal regime... more February to 0.98 ± 0.26% in May (P < 0.05), apparently due to changes in the photo-thermal regime. Diet significantly affected the number of days when spawning occurred, the number of days when hatched eggs were produced, and the proportion of fertilized eggs (P < 0.05); and affected the number of days on which viable eggs were produced during April (NS). In all cases, the results were lowest for M + M, while those for the other two treatments did not differ significantly. Differences in hatching rate were not significant in April. During May, no spawning occurred in fish given the M + M treatment, and the differences between the other two treatments were not significant. Values for all variates tended to be higher for M + P than M + M in April and lower for M + P and M in May. These results suggest that supplementing the semi-moist diet with mussels depressed feed intake and, consequently, reproductive performance; the semi-moist diet alone and semi-moist diet supplemented with polychaetes allowed satisfactory food intake and reproductive performance in broodstock sole.
... G. Mosconi 1 , , G. Cardinaletti 1 , D. Lanari 2 , E. Tibaldi 2 , R. Salvatori 3 , M. Gilmozz... more ... G. Mosconi 1 , , G. Cardinaletti 1 , D. Lanari 2 , E. Tibaldi 2 , R. Salvatori 3 , M. Gilmozzi 4 , M. ... mediante determinazione della vitellogenina plasmatica (VTG), una proteina sesso-specifica precursore delle componenti proteiche del tuorlo, mediante una tecnica ELISA messa a ...
Aquaculture Nutrition, 2012
Copepods are the natural food items for marine fish larvae but are still difficult to be cultured... more Copepods are the natural food items for marine fish larvae but are still difficult to be cultured on a continuous basis. Therefore, suitable storage techniques for copepod subitaneous eggs are of great interest. Cold-stored copepod embryos still develop and retain a physiological activity during the cold storage period. As a consequence, their nutritional quality may change over the time of storage with these changes possibly affecting both eggs viability and larval fish survival and development. In this study, the clownfish, Amphiprion polymnus, was used as an experimental model to compare, for the first time, the effects of diets based on enriched rotifers and Artemia (control), Acartia tonsa copepods of a continuous culture and A. tonsa originated from 6 months coldstored eggs. The effects of the different diets were tested through morphometric, molecular and biochemical approach. This study demonstrated that after a 6 months cold storage period, the quality of copepods obtained from those eggs was suboptimal for A. polymnus larval rearing. In fact, larvae fed those copepods showed lower growth and survival performances respect to the other experimental groups.
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Papers by G. Cardinaletti