International Journal of Aquaculture, 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 11-20 http://www.aquapublisher.com/index.php/ija 11 Research Article Open Access Hepatoprotective Action of Including Açaí (Euterpe oleraceaMart.) in the Diet of KoiCarp (Cyprinus carpio) Fernades M.C. 1, Costa D.S. 1 , Silva A.V. 1, Lopes E.M. 1, Cardoso C.A.L. 2, Ventura A.S. 3, Tedesco M. 1, Mouriño J.L.P. 1,Martins M.L. 1 1 AQUOS-Aquatic Organisms Health Laboratory, Aquaculture Department, UFSC, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil 2 Center for Studies in Natural Resources, State University of Mato Grosso do Sul, UEMS, Dourados, Brazil 3 FCA-Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados, UFGD, Dourados, Brazil Corresponding email: domicksonsc@hotmail.com International Journal of Aquaculture, 2025, Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/ija.2025.15.0002 Received: 20 Jan., 2025 Accepted: 10 Feb., 2025 Published: 25 Feb., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Fernades et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Fernades M.C., Costa D.S., Silva A.V., Lopes E.M., Cardoso C.A.L., Ventura A.S., Tedesco M., Mouriño J.L.P., and Martins M.L., 2025, Hepatoprotective action of including açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) in the diet of Koi carp (Cyprinus carpio), International Journal of Aquaculture, 15(1): 11-20 (doi: 10.5376/ija.2025.15.0002) Abstract This study evaluated the hepatoprotective effect of açaí inclusion in the diets of juvenile Koi carp (Cyprinus carpio). For the experimental trial, 240 fish were distributed across 20 tanks (n = 12), using a completely randomized design that involved four treatments and one control group. The tested diets were: control (DC0.0%) with no açaí; 0.5% açaí (DA0.5%); 1.0% açaí (DA1.0%); 1.5% açaí (DA1.5%); and 2.0% açaí (DA2.0%) inclusion. The açaí-supplemented diets showed higher concentrations of phenolic compounds, tannins, and flavonoids, as well as superior antioxidant potential compared to the control group (p<0.05). After 30 days of feeding, four specimens from each tank were collected for histological analysis. The analysis of variance at 5% significance revealed a significant difference in the loss of the hepatic cord arrangement, with a reduction of 62.50 ± 13.06% in the control group (DC0.0%) compared to the other treatments. The DA2.0% diet exhibited greater congestion in the sinusoids (54.17 ± 20.87%) compared to the control (33.33 ± 11.68%). The control group also showed a higher number of mononuclear inflammatory infiltrates (72.92 ± 7.54%). Necrotic areas were more intense in the control group (64.58 ± 12.87%) and less pronounced in the DA1.5% diet (43.75 ± 24.13%). The results suggest that diets with intermediate levels of açaí can exert a hepatoprotective effect on Koi carp, indicating that diets with the inclusion of açaí for carp can help in growth and nutrient assimilation, since the liver tissue metabolizes a large amount of the substance, but additional studies are needed to determine the ideal dose and explore its application in other fish species. Keywords Nutrition; Liver health; Ornamental aquaculture; Antioxidant 1 Introducion Aquariology is constantly expanding, and it is estimated that, in 2020, more than 4 million tons of live ornamental fish were traded worldwide (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - FAO 2022). This sector is gaining increasing importance as restrictions related to extractivism are being implemented (Ladisa et al., 2017). In addition, fish hold the top position in the global ranking of pet groups, and in Brazil, they are the fourth group, behind only dogs, birds, and cats, in 2023 (Brazilian Association of the Pet Products Industry - ABINPET 2024). Among ornamental species, the common carp, Koi variety (Cyprinus carpio), stands out. It is a freshwater species native to Asia, belonging to the order Cypriniformes and the family Cyprinidae (Shi et al., 2024). According to data from the FAO (2024), the production of C. carpio accounts for 4,012.6 tons of the global freshwater aquaculture production. The species has a high market value due to its vibrant colors, body shape, and its easy adaptation to different farming systems (Laksono et al., 2021; Yanuhar et al., 2021). Although ornamental fish production has developed significantly with advances in infrastructure and technologies to meet market demand (Goswami et al., 2023), this growth has also contributed to the frequent increase in health issues in farming environments (Saengsitthisak et al., 2020). These problems are triggered by a variety of factors, such as poor water quality, inadequate management practices, and the provision of imbalanced diets, which impact the development of these animals and, consequently, make them more vulnerable to disease outbreaks (Debnath et al., 2024).
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