Improvement of some performance in Sterlet sturgeon (Acipenser ruthenus)

larvae as a consequence of thyroxine injection to broodstock

Hamed Abdollahpour1, Bahram Falahatkar1,2*

1Fisheries
Department, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, 1144, Guilan, Iran
2Department of Marine Sciences, The Caspian Sea Basin Research Center, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

falahatkar@guilan.ac.ir

Introduction
Thyroid hormones (THs) (thyroxine and triiodothyronine) are thought to be associated with a great number of biological processes
in vertebrates, comprising metabolism, growth, development, and reproduction. In addition, THs in maternal circulation can be
moved inside the eggs resulting to enhance larvae survival and performance. This investigation was carried out to examine the
impact of maternal thyroxine injection on offspring growth performance.

Materials & Methods

•Larval rearing
•Fish
Subsequent yolk sac absorption 300
30 Sterlet female larvae of Sterlet sturgeon were cultured
•Treatments for 14 days at six circle cage net (55 ×
1) control, coconut oil (C) 25 cm).
2) 1 mg T4/kg BW (T1)
•Larval feeding
3) 10 mg T4/kg BW (T10)
•Injection Larvae were fed by Artemia
franciscana nauplii six times a day.
Females were intraperitoneally
injected T4 for 4 times over a 6 •Growth performance analysis
month period.
•Rearing condition Survival rate (SR) and specific growth
The fish were cultured in 6 rate (SGR) of offspring from T4-
circular concrete tanks during injected broodstock was evaluated for
170 days of trial and mean water 14 day following below formulas:
temperature was 11.5 ± 0.32 ºC. SR (%) = (dead larvae – total larvae) ×
•Spawning induction 100
LHRHa2 (4µg/ kg BW) in 2 SGR (% day-1) = (ln final weight – ln
doses of injection in 12 hours initial weight) × 100 / (time (day)).
interval (15% as priming dose •Statistical analysis
and 85% as resolving dose). All analysis was carried out utilizing
•Artificial insemination the software SPSS version 16.
One-way ANOVA and Duncan’s
Eggs were obtained by Podushka
multiple tests were applied to analyze
method. Eggs were fertilized with
the statistical differences and
milt of 3 males.
significant differences among the
Eggs stickiness were removed with
treatments.
10 % clay solution for 45 min.

Results
The result illustrated that survival rate of Sterlet sturgeon larvae were regularly increased with thyroxine injection to broodstock
at a high dose (T10). Survival rate of larvae were greater in T10 treatment compared other group (P < 0.05; Fig 1 A). In addition,
specific growth rate was significantly greater in T1 and T10 groups than the control (P < 0.05; Fig 1 B).
100 6.00
A 90
B a
Specific growth rate (% day-1)

5.00 a
80
a
70
Survival rate (%)

ab 4.00
60
50 b 3.00
40 b
2.00
30
20
1.00
10
0 0.00
Control T1 T10 Control T1 T10

Fig 1. Survival rate (A) and specific growth rate (B) (mean ± SE) in Sterlet sturgeon larvae.
Values that are significantly different (P< 0.05) have different letters during the experiment

Discussion & Conclusion

Successively, THs administration could prompt digestive system and improve the ability to get feed and enhance the growth
performance and survival rate of fish larvae. The outputs of this experiment illustrated that thyroxine injection to Sterlet
broodstocks can have functional impacts on offspring.

8th International Symposium on Sturgeon, Vienna, 10-16 September 2017