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SUMMARY:In decapod crustaceans, the digestive gland is concerned with the digestion, absorption of nutrients, the storage of reserves and excretion. The metabolism and the histological and histochemical changes of the hepatopancreas are observed in response to physiological demands as moult, reproduction, digestive process. Thus the hepatopancreas structure should be recognized to provide important morphological information to future studies involving the nutrition requirements of freshwater prawn culture. In this study, second-generation Macrobrachium amazonicum produced from wild broodstock collected in the state of Pará in Brazil were used. Thirty adult male and female M. amazonicum were selected and randomly transferred to five experimental units for macroscopic and microscopic studies. The hepatopancreas of M. amazonicum is a large, yellowish-brown, compact organ, which occupies much of the cephalothoracic cavity. It has right and left halves that are enclosed together in a laminar connective tissue capsule, and at the same time they are separated by an interstitial connective tissue. The two halves are thereby called the right and left hepatopancreatic lobes. The principal tubule gives rise to four secondary tubules at each hepatopancreatic lobe. The morphological and functional unit consists of a blind-ended hepatopancreatic tubule, considered in the present study as the hepatopancreatic lobule. Each hepatopancreatic tubule can be subdivided into distal, medial and proximal zones. The hepatopancreatic tubule is lined by a pseudostratified epithelium that consists of five different cell types, which include the E-cell (embryonic), F-cell (fibrillar), B-cell (blister-like), R-cell (resorptive) and M-cell (midgut or basal). It is important to emphasize that the function of each cell type in the hepatopancreas during the digestive cycle is not yet established for decapods.KEY WORDS: Hepatopancreas; Morphology; Decapoda; Macrobrachium amazonicum. INTRODUCCIÓNDecapod crustaceans have a digestive gland associated to the midgut. It has received different names from which hepatopancreas is the most accepted (Van Weel, 1974). The hepatopancreas is concerned with the digestion, absorption of nutrients, storage of reserves and excretion (Johnston et al., 1998;Sousa & Petriella, 2000). It is also involved in the synthesis of digestive enzymes (Icely & Nott, 1992). In general, the organ occupies much of the cephalothoracic cavity and is connected to the pyloric stomach by two primary ducts. Each duct branches into many hepatopancreatic tubules, which comprise the hepatopancreas (Johnston et al.; Souza & Petriella). Each hepatopancreatic tubule consists of different cell types, which include the E-cell (embryonic), R-cell (resorptive), F-cell (fibrillar), B-cell (blisterlike) and M-cell (midget or basal) (Gibson & Barker;Al-Mohanna & Nott, 1987Caceci et al., 1988;Icely & Nott). The different cellular types have specific roles in the cyclical digestive process (Hirsch & Jacobs, 1992;Gibson & Barker;Sousa & Petriella). Th...

An alkaline peptidase was purified from the viscera of the silver mojarra (Diapterus rhombeus) in a three-step process: heat treatment, ammonium sulphate fractionation and molecular exclusion chromatography (Sephadex® G-75), with final specific activity 86-fold higher than the enzyme extract and yield of 22.1%. The purified enzyme had an estimated molecular mass of 26.5kDa and NH2-terminal amino acid sequence IVGGYECTMHSEAHE. Higher enzyme activity was observed at pH 8.5 and between 50 and 55°C. The enzyme was completely inactivated after 30min at 55°C and it was significantly more stable at alkaline pH. Km, Kcat and Kcat·Km(-1) values, using BApNA as substrate, were 0.266mM, 0.93s(-1) and 3.48mM(-1)s(-1), respectively. Enzyme activity increased in the presence of the ions (1mM) K(+), Li(+) and Ca(2+), but was inhibited by Fe(2+), Cd(2+), Cu(2+), Al(3+), Hg(2+), Zn(2+) and Pb(2+) as well as by the trypsin inhibitors TLCK and benzamidine.

ABSTRACT. This work is a sequence of studies on tropical fish of economic importance that evaluated the effects of two different stress of handling on the physiology and haematology of Oreochromis niloticus L. acclimated for 10 days before the essay. The stress consisted in net capture of all fish from each aquarium for 30s emersion. Fish exposed to single stress (SS) the samples were collected in the times 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 120, 180, 240 and 300min. after stress. In the consecutive stress (CS) the samples were collected in the times 0; 15min. after the first stress; 15min. after the second stress; 15min. after the third stress and 15, 30, 45, 60, 120, 180 e 240min. after the fourth stress totalizing four stimuli every 60min. Fish exposed to SS showed increased cortisol and glucose concentrations at 60min. as well as in the leucocytes number and hematocrit at 50min. after stress. Cortisol did not alter in fish exposed to CS, but glucose increased 15min. after the third stress. On the other hand, CS provoked reduction in the leucocytes number and later hematocrit increasing. Neutrophilia and lymphopenia were related to SS and CS.Key words: Oreochromis niloticus, consecutive stress, cortisol, glucose, haematology. RESUMO. Resposta fisiológica e hematológica de Oreochromis niloticus (Osteichthyes:Cichlidae) exposto ao estresse único e consecutivo de captura. Este trabalho é seqüência de estudos com peixes tropicais de importância econômica avaliando os efeitos de dois tipos de estresse sobre a fisiologia e hematologia de O. niloticus L, aclimatados durante 10 dias antes do experimento. O estresse consistiu na captura de todos os peixes do aquário com rede e emersão por 30 s. Nos animais submetidos ao estímulo único de captura (EU) as amostras foram coletadas nos tempos 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 120, 180, 240 e 300min. após o estresse. No estímulo consecutivo (EC) as amostras foram coletadas nos tempos 0; 15min. após o primeiro estresse; 15min. após o segundo estresse; 15min. após o terceiro estresse e 15, 30, 45, 60, 120, 180 e 240min. após o quarto estresse totalizando quatro estímulos a cada 60min. Os peixes expostos ao EU apresentaram aumento nas concentrações de cortisol e glicose 60min., bem como no número de leucócitos e hematócrito 50min. após o estresse. Não houve alteração do cortisol nos peixes do EC, mas a glicose aumentou 15min. após o terceiro estresse. Por outro lado, o EC provocou redução no número de leucócitos e aumento tardio do hematócrito. Observou-se neutrofilia e linfopenia após o EU e EC.

Effects of the ratio of dietary fatty acids, namely n‐3 (mainly long chain polyunsaturated – LC‐PUFA) to n‐6 PUFA on the fecundity of Macrobrachium amazonicum were evaluated. In T1, the diet had equal and low levels of dietary n‐3 and n‐6 fatty acids (6 mg g−1). In T2, the concentration of n‐3 (6 mg g−1) was a half of the concentration of the n‐6 (12 mg g−1), and in T3, the diet had equal and high concentrations of n‐3 and n‐6 (12 mg g−1). Females with ovaries in stages I, III and V were collected. Higher gonadosomatic index (GSI) (6.89%) was observed in females in ovarian stage V than at other ovarian stages; however, the hepatosomatic index (HIS) showed high values in all females with ovaries in the stage III. A ratio of 1:2 n‐3:n‐6 fatty acids increased the GSI of mature females and the number of eggs spawned. Raising the level of both n‐3 and n‐6 fatty acids from ~0.6% to ~1.2% of the diet did not produce any effect on the GSI or on fecundity, suggesting that the ratio is more important than the absolute value of these two families of fatty acids.

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The Amazon River prawn Macrobrachium amazonicum is endemic to tropical South America and is being intensively exploited by artisanal fisheries in Brazil. Limited information is available about the nutritional requirements of M. amazonicum, although the production of this species is now technically feasible. The digestive process in this species is still unclear and investigation into the digestive cells of its hepatopancreatic epithelium is required. Thus, the hepatopancreas from 15 specimens were fixed in Karnovsky Solution and processed for Transmission Electron Microscopy. Our results indicate that E cells are located at the distal portion of the hepatopancreatic tubule and are involved in mitotic activity. The cylindrical R cells are sparse and are only found in the proximal portion of the hepatopancreatic tubule. According to its ultrastructural characteristics, this cell is involved in pinocytosis. M cells are generally found near the R cells. The F cells are scattered throughout the length of the hepatopancreatic tubules, and B cells are observed mainly in the proximal and middle regions. F cells and B cells are likely related to, respectively, the synthesis of enzymes and the intracelular digestion. R-and M cells are probably related to material storage. Thus, these findings provide basic information on the cell types that perform protein digestion in M. amazonicum, and will be useful in further nutritional research. The identification and characterization of digestive cells is an important step towards understanding the digestive mechanisms.

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