Effects of Spirulina platensis and Chlorella vulgaris on the Immune System and Reproduction of Fish

Abstract

This review briefly highlights previous studies on the effects of Spirulina platensis and Chlorella vulgaris on the health and reproduction of fish. These microalgae have diverse potentials. This study can be used as a stepping stone in advancing the aquafeed industry by formulating microalgae-based feeds. It can be made to specifically enhanced the health status of fish and its reproductive system through the supplementation and/or replacement of fishmeal or other plant proteins such as soybean meal. Hence, it could be more sustainable than depending on natural fish stocks. The usage of antibiotics and vaccines to solve the issue of disease outbreak in aquaculture, as well as the usage of hormones for the growth and reproduction of fish, can also be replaced by the usage of S. platensis and C. vulgaris. The inclusion of these microalgae in fish feed has affected hemathological parameters and survival in fish as it boosts the numbers of white and red blood cells and thus affecting the immunity-stimulating capacity in fish. Besides, these microalgae also affect the fecundity and survival of fish eggs and thus directly affecting the reproduction performance of fish. Spirulina platensis affects eggs production and survival in fish whereas C. vulgaris enhances oxidative stress that affects the reproduction of White rabbits. This review aimed to deliver the results on the research of S. platensis and C. vulgaris on the immunity and reproduction of various fish species.

Arthrospira platensis nanoparticles dietary supplementation improves growth performance, steroid hormone balance, and reproductive productivity of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) broodstock

“…These results are in accordance with previous results of Mabrouk et al [8], Elabd et al [70], and Sharawy et al [42]. However, these results may be due to the high-lipid content of A. platensis nanoparticles dietary supplementations [98].…”

New trends in biotechnological applications of photosynthetic microorganisms

“…The excellent function of microalgae and cyanobacteria is the production of substances (mostly proteins, vitamins, carotenoids, and polysaccharides) with antibacterial activity that protects animals against bacterial infections (Gateau et al, 2017;Joshua and Zulperi, 2020;Koyande et al, 2019). Nontoxic and well-known microalgae such as Haematococcus lacustris, Nannochloropsis sp., Chlorella sp., and cyanobacteria Arthrospira platensis are commonly used for this purpose.…”

Toward sustainable food systems: can spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) become a sustainable source of protein to enhance the nutritional benefits of cultured Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)?

“…For instance, improved immunity has been reported in cultured fish when the fish consume spirulina-based diets (Abdel-Tawwab et al, 2021;Shalata et al, 2021;El-Araby et al, 2022;Al Mamun et al, 2023), including immunological responses of Nile tilapia (O. niloticus) to Aeromonas hydrophila infections (Mabrouk et al, 2021). Moreover, the use of spirulina as a feed ingredient has resulted in significant improvements in the growth performance of cultivated fish (Tongsiri et al, 2010;Jahan et al, 2016) and in boosting the reproductive performance of tilapia by increasing the number and size of eggs as well as their hatchability (Wahbi and Sangak, 2017;Joshua and Zulperi, 2020). However, these fish feed trials have mostly been carried out in Asia, with only very few studies showing the effectiveness of spirulina in African countries.…”