Effect of Essential Oils on the Oxyntopeptic Cells and Somatostatin and Ghrelin Immunoreactive Cells in the European Sea Bass (<i>Dicentrarchus labrax</i>) Gastric Mucosa
Maurizio Mazzoni,
Giulia Lattanzio,
Alessio Bonaldo,
Claudio Tagliavia,
Luca Parma,
Serena Busti,
Pier Paolo Gatta,
Nadia Bernardi,
Paolo Clavenzani
Affiliations
Maurizio Mazzoni
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Ozzano Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy
Giulia Lattanzio
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Ozzano Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy
Alessio Bonaldo
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Ozzano Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy
Claudio Tagliavia
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Ozzano Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy
Luca Parma
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Ozzano Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy
Serena Busti
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Ozzano Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy
Pier Paolo Gatta
Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum—University of Bologna, Ozzano Emilia, 40064 Bologna, Italy
The current work was designed to assess the effect of feed supplemented with essential oils (EOs) on the histological features in sea bass’s gastric mucosa. Fish were fed three diets: control diet (CTR), HERBAL MIX® made with natural EOs (N-EOs), or HERBAL MIX® made with artificial EOs obtained by synthesis (S-EOs) during a 117-day feeding trial. Thereafter, the oxyntopeptic cells (OPs) and the ghrelin (GHR) and somatostatin (SOM) enteroendocrine cells (EECs) in the gastric mucosa were evaluated. The Na+K+-ATPase antibody was used to label OPs, while, for the EECs, anti-SOM and anti-GHR antibody were used. The highest density of OP immunoreactive (IR) area was in the CTR group (0.66 mm2 ± 0.1). The OP-IR area was reduced in the N-EO diet group (0.22 mm2 ± 1; CTR vs. N-EOs, p 2 ± 1) a trend was observed. We observed an increase of the number of SOM-IR cells in the N-EO diet (15.6 ± 4.2) compared to that in the CTR (11.8 ± 3.7) (N-EOs vs. CTR; p < 0.05), but not in the S-EOs diet. These observations will provide a basis to advance current knowledge on the anatomy and digestive physiology of this species in relation to pro-heath feeds.
