Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2021, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (3): 114-123.doi: 10.11978/2020026CSTR: 32234.14.2020026

• Marine Biology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of salinity changes on serum and kidney immune status associated with injection of Aeromonas hydrophila in Scatophagus argus

LU Mengying1(), SU Maoliang2,3, ZHANG Junbin1,2()   

  1. 1. National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
    2. Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource & Eco-Environmental Science, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
    3. Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
  • Received:2020-03-09 Revised:2020-04-07 Online:2021-05-10 Published:2020-04-09
  • Contact: ZHANG Junbin E-mail:lumyac@163.com;jbzhang@szu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(41806177);National Natural Science Foundation of China(41976108);China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2019M653010)

Abstract:

The salinity in coastal waters fluctuates frequently due to seasonal rainfall and ocean currents. Salinity change makes fish more susceptible to pathogens, leading to disease and death. As the main lymphoid tissue of teleosts, kidney is closely related to fish’s immune function. This study aims to explore effects of environmental salinity on the kidney immune function of Scatophagus argus. In order to analyze the relationship between the change of environmental salinity and immune situation in fish’s kidney after Aeromonas hydrophila injection, we compared the changes of superoxide dismutase (SOD) concentration in serum and kidney, and immune-related parameters Complement 4 (C4), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Immunoglobulin M (IgM) concentrations in kidney before and after infection within 96 h of each salinity group. Our results show that except for 96 hpi, SOD concentrations in the serum and kidney tissues of the freshwater group and low-salinity (?‰) group were higher than those of the 25‰ salinity group (P<0.01), and that the maximum difference between low-salinity group and 25‰ salinity group was about 150 ng·mL-1. The concentration of C4 in the serum and kidney of the freshwater group and low-salinity group was about 100-600 μg·mL-1 higher than that of the 25‰ salinity group within 96 hpi (P<0.01). The concentration of IL-6 in the kidney tissues of S. argus in the 25‰ salinity group was higher than that in the freshwater group and low-salinity group (P<0.01), although IL-6 concentrations in kidney of the three groups were significantly lower than that of the control group (14.2±0.1 pg·mL-1, in freshwater; 17.9±0.0 pg·mL-1, in low-salinity; 17.9±0.0 pg·mL-1, in 25‰ salinity) at 96 hpi (P<0.01), while the serum IL-6 concentration in the freshwater group was significantly increased to 56.9±1.0 pg·mL-1 (P<0.01). The serum and kidney IgM levels of fish in the 25‰ salinity grop (71.8±2.9 μg·mL-1 and 6.3±0.4 μg·mL-1) were about 1-20 g·mL-1 higher than those of the freshwater group and low-salinity group (P<0.05). The time of IgM production in serum and kidney tissues of the 25‰ salinity group (12 hpi) was earlier than that of the freshwater group and low-salinity group (24 hpi). In summary, the 25‰ salinity group suffered less damage after bacterial infection, and the immune status of kidney and serum was better than that of the freshwater group and low-salinity group; and the immune response was faster in the 25‰ salinity group. Therefore, we speculate that a decrease of salinity would lead to a decrease of kidney immune state of S. argus. This research provides a reference value for S. argus mariculture.

Key words: Scatophagus argus, salinity, Aeromonas hydrophila, immunity, kidney

CLC Number: 

  • S943