Recombinant vs purified mammal gonadotropins as
maturation hormonal treatments of European eel males
J.G. Herranz-Jusdado, C. Rozenfeld, M.
Morini, L. Pérez, J.F. Asturiano, V. Gallego
Aquaculture, 501: 527-536. 2019
Aquaculture, 501: 527-536. 2019
Abstract
In
the past three decades the European eel Anguilla
anguilla experienced up to 99% decline in recruitment in some parts of its
distribution range, thus breeding in captivity is nowadays considered key in
order to save this species. With this in mind, obtaining high quality gametes
is fundamental, as is the ongoing study of new hormonal treatments in order to improve
current methods. Therefore, the aim of this research study was i) to assess the effect of two hormonal treatments (OVI, a recombinant
α-choriogonadotropin; and VET, a human chorionic gonadotropin purified from
female urine) on the reproductive performance of European eel
males, and, after choosing the best hormone, ii) to compare the effects of three doses in order to cut
the costs of artificial maturation.
Our
results indicated that the type of hormone used (recombinant vs purified
gonadotropins) significantly affected
the progression of spermiation in European eel males, and that the recombinant
hormone (OVI) produced better results in terms of sperm quantity and quality in
most of the weeks of the treatment, remaining thus an effective treatment to
induce spermiation in this species. On the other hand, in terms of the doses
experiment, our results showed that from the lowest to the highest
dose (0.25 to 1.5 IU/g fish) all the treatments were able to induce the whole
spermiation process. However, a weekly dose of 1.5 IU/g
fish of recombinant hormone (OVI) was necessary in order to provide a notable
amount (volume and density) of high quality (motility and velocity) samples
throughout the treatment.
Finally,
the economic analysis demonstrated that the recombinant hormone (OVI, 1.5 IU/g
fish) had a greater profitability than the other treatments,
making it possible to obtain high-quality sperm for a lower price. In this
context, and considering the fact that in the first few weeks of any hormonal
treatment there is no high-quality sperm production, long-term hormonal
therapies are necessary in order to lessen the cost of high-quality European
eel sperm.
doi: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2018.12.015