Daniel L. Merrifield
United Kingdom
Research Article
Effects of Probiotics on Zebrafish Reproduction
Author(s): Giorgia Gioacchini, Francesco Lombardo, Daniel L. Merrifield, Stefania Silvi, Alberto Cresci, Matteo Alessandro Avella and Oliana CarnevaliGiorgia Gioacchini, Francesco Lombardo, Daniel L. Merrifield, Stefania Silvi, Alberto Cresci, Matteo Alessandro Avella and Oliana Carnevali
Recent studies have demonstrated that probiotics can influence reproductive performance, however, the mechanisms influencing oogenesis remain poorly explored. In this study, the effects of dietary probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus IMC 501 ® administration was investigated on female zebrafish ( D. rerio ) reproductive performance and ovarian development (both growth and maturation phases). After feeding the zebrafish experimental diets for 10 days, real-time PCR and culture based methods revealed alterations on gut microbiota, characterised by high levels of L. rhamnosus IMC 501 ® in the gut of probiotic treated zebrafish, which were absent in the control. The microbial modulation in the gut was related with a significant increase of the gonadosomatic-index (GSI) associated, at the molecular level, to a significant increase of ovarian expression of cyt.. View More»
DOI:
10.4172/2155-9546.S1-002