Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2025, 70(7):286-299 | DOI: 10.17221/194/2024-CJAS

Synergistic effects of dried Padina sp. and prebiotic on growth, histology, and growth-related gene expression in European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax)Original Paper

Metin Yazici ORCID...1
1 Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Marine Sciences and Technology, Iskenderun Technical University, Hatay, Türkiye

This study evaluated the effects of feeding European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) that developed from the fingerling to juvenile stage a diet supplemented with a blend of Padina sp. and GroBiotic®-A over a 12-week period. A total of 480 fish (initial weight: 2.08 ± 0.06 g) were randomly allocated to four groups, each comprising three replicates. The fish were fed to satiation with diets containing varying proportions of Padina sp. and GroBiotic®-A: 0% Padina sp. and 0% GroBiotic®-A (0P0G), 1% Padina sp. and 1% GroBiotic®-A (1P1G), 2% Padina sp. and 1% GroBiotic®-A (2P1G), and 4% Padina sp. and 1% GroBiotic®-A (4P1G). The 4P1G group demonstrated significant improvements in growth performance parameters, including final weight, weight gain, and specific growth rate (P < 0.05). However, no significant differences were found in other parameters including feed conversion ratio, visceral somatic index, and survival rate (P > 0.05). Histological analysis of liver and intestinal tissues showed no pathological alterations (P > 0.05); more likely, only adaptive and non-pathological morphological changes such as moderate lipid vacuolisation and preserved mucosal structure were noted. Furthermore, dietary supplementation of the Padina sp. and GroBiotic®-A blend significantly upregulated the expression of growth-related genes, specifically growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the combination of Padina sp. and GroBiotic®-A has a synergistic potential to enhance the growth performance without inducing digestive disturbances. Nevertheless, further studies are recommended to assess its effects on fish grown to market size before commercial application.

Keywords: brown macroalgae; growth hormone; gut health; nutritional synergy

Received: November 30, 2024; Accepted: June 27, 2025; Prepublished online: July 28, 2025; Published: July 29, 2025  Show citation

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Yazici M. Synergistic effects of dried Padina sp. and prebiotic on growth, histology, and growth-related gene expression in European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Czech J. Anim. Sci. 2025;70(7):286-299. doi: 10.17221/194/2024-CJAS.
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