Nuestro último artículo, aceptado en Theriogenology

Effect of the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus on the expression of genes involved in European eel spermatogenesis

M. Carmen Vílchez, Stefania Santangeli, Francesca Maradonna, Giorgia Gioacchini, Cristina Verdenelli, Victor Gallego, David S. Peñaranda, Helge Tveiten, Luz Pérez, Oliana Carnevali, Juan F. Asturiano

Abstract

Positive effects of probiotics on fish reproduction have been demonstrated in several species. In the present study, 40 male European eels were weekly treated with recombinant hCG for 9 weeks as well as with three different concentrations (10³, 10⁵, 10⁶ CFU/ml) of probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus IMC 501® (Sinbyotec, Italy), daily added to the water from the 6^th week of the hCG treatment. Males from treated groups and from control were sacrificed after one, two and three weeks of probiotic treatment (7-9^th weeks of hCG treatment), sperm and testis samples were collected. Sperm volume was estimated and motility analysed by CASA software. Alternations in transcription of specific genes involved in reproductive process such as Activin, Androgen Receptor α and β (arα and β), Progesterone Receptor I (pr1), Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15 (bmp15) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone receptor (fshr) were analyzed in the testis.

Following two weeks of probiotic treatment, sperm production and sperm motility parameters (percentage of motile cells and percentage of straight swimming spermatozoa) were increased in the European eel treated with 105 CFU/ml compared to controls or to the other probiotic doses. These changes were associated with increases in Activin, arα, arβ, pr1 and fshr mRNA levels of gene expression. Conversely, after three weeks, activin and pr1 expression were lowered. No significant changes were observed on bmp15 expression throughout the duration of the treatment with 105 CFU/ml dose.

The lowest (10³ CFU/ml) and highest (10⁶ CFU/ml) probiotic doses, along all the experiment, inhibited the transcription of all genes except for arα and β, after one week of probiotic treatment when compared to control.

The changes observed by transcriptomic analysis and the sperm parameters suggest that L. rhamnosus at 10⁵ CFU/ml for two weeks could improve spermatogenesis process in Anguilla anguilla.