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Effects of a saponin fraction extracted from Trigonella foenum-graecum L. and two commercially available saponins on sex ratio and gonad histology of Nile tilapa fry, Oreochromis niloticus (L.)

Stadtlander, T.; Levavi-Sivan, B.; Kerem, Z.; Dweik, H.; Qutob, M.; Abu-Lafi, S.; Francis, G.; Focken, U. and Becker, K. (2013) Effects of a saponin fraction extracted from Trigonella foenum-graecum L. and two commercially available saponins on sex ratio and gonad histology of Nile tilapa fry, Oreochromis niloticus (L.). Journal of Applied Ichthyology (Article first published online: 13 SEP 2012), 29 (1), pp. 265-267.

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Document available online at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jai.12002/pdf


Summary

Over three million tonnes (t) of tilapia, mostly Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus, L.), are produced annually making it the second most abundantly produced freshwater fish (FAO, 2010). Tilapia are mouthbreeders that often produce stunted populations under pond conditions; one means of prevention is to produce all-male fish with the additional advantage that males usually grow faster than females. All-male populations can be achieved by supplementing feed with androgens such as 17-α-Methyltestosterone (MT) during days 10–25 post-hatch (Pandian and Sheela, 1995). However, MT is considered to be carcinogenic (Velazquez and Alter, 2004), and Hulak et al. (2008) also showed that effluents of systems in which carp were fed diets containing MT caused masculinization of female fish. Furthermore, in aquaculture the application of hormones to fish destined for human consumption is prohibited in the European Union under directive 96/22/EC, article 5, which also prohibits import of animal products produced with hormones.
Kwon et al. (2000) showed that Fadrozole, a non-steroidal compound, caused masculinization in tilapia by inhibiting aromatase, which is the enzyme responsible for the conversion of endogenous androgens to estrogens. Steinbronn et al. (2004) were able to show that a dose of 2000 ppm Quillaja saponins (Sigma S-2149) inhibited reproduction of tilapia after dietary application for 32 days to first-feeding fry, suggesting saponins as a possible alternative to MT. These secondary plant compounds consist of either a steroid or triterpenoid basic structure (aglycone or sapogenin) plus one or more sugar side chains (Francis et al., 2002a).
In a previous experiment a saponin fraction from the soapbark tree (Quillaja saponaria M.) inhibited aromatase in vitro (Golan et al., 2008). The fenugreek plant (Trigonella foenum-graecum L), widely cultivated in the Middle East and Asia, also has a high saponin content. The experiment was therefore conducted to test whether saponin fractions from Q. saponaria and from T. foenum-graecum were able to influence the sex ratio and gonad histology of Nile tilapia.


EPrint Type:Journal paper
Keywords:Aquaculture, Nile tilapia, feeding, hormons, saponin fraction, sex ratio
Agrovoc keywords:
Language
Value
URI
English
aquaculture
http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_550
Subjects: Animal husbandry > Production systems > Aquaculture
Research affiliation: Switzerland > FiBL - Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland > Animal > Aquaculture
ISSN:0175–8659
Deposited By: Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau, FiBL
ID Code:23133
Deposited On:14 Aug 2013 20:54
Last Modified:22 Mar 2021 12:27
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Peer-reviewed and accepted

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