Evidence for dietary effects on plasma levels of sexual steroids during spermatogenesis in the sea bass

• Main Authors: Cerdá-Reverter, José Miguel, Zanuy, Silvia, Carrillo, Manuel
• Other Authors: Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología, CICYT (España)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Springer Nature 1997
• Subjects: 11-Ketotestosterone; Diet; Fatty acids; Sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax); Spermatogenesis; Testosterone; Scophthalmus maximus; Turbot
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/252311; https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018392913775; https://doi.org/10.13039/501100007273

In Europe, the study of the relationship between nutritional conditions and reproduction in captivity of marine fish has focused on sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata, and turbot, Scophthalmus maximus three economically important species. However, in these species, there are very few studies on the nutritional influence on the male reproductive condition, as well as on dietary effects on sperm quality. In the sea bass, we have shown that deficiencies in dietary protein and w-3 fatty acids notably influence the female reproductive process, both at the brain and the ovarian level, which may affect the survival and viability of eggs and larvae (Kah et al., 1994; Cerd`a et al., 1995). We present here, for the first time in this species, evidence for long-term dietary effects on the levels of circulating androgens, which were observed in fish fed low dietary fatty acids during two consecutive reproductive cycles. This work was supported by a CICYT Project MAR88-0231 awarded to S. Z. and a CEE-FAR Contract No. (AQ 240E UK).