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Cited by 104Aquaculture disease management and microbiotaAquaculture Nutrition and GrowthPhysiological and biochemical adaptations

Intestinal barrier function of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) post smolts is reduced by common sea cage environments and suggested as a possible physiological welfare indicator

Open access
Sundh, Henrik, Kvamme, Bjørn, Fridell, Frode, Olsen, Rolf, Ellis, Tim, Taranger, Geir, Sundell, Kristina·2010·BMC Physiology
DOI 10.1186/1472-6793-10-22PMC PMC2992494
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Fish farmed under high intensity aquaculture conditions are subjected to unnatural environments that may cause stress. Therefore awareness of how to maintain good health and welfare of farmed fish is important. For Atlantic salmon held in sea cages, water flow, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels and temperature will fluctuate over time and the fish can at times be exposed to detrimentally low DO levels and high temperatures. This experimental study investigates primary and secondary stress responses of Atlantic salmon post smolts to long-term exposure to reduced and fluctuating DO levels and high water temperatures, mimicking situations in the sea cages. Plasma cortisol levels and cortisol release to the water were assessed as indicators of the primary stress response and intestinal barrier integrity and physiological functions as indicators of secondary responses to changes in environmental conditions. RESULTS: Plasma cortisol levels were elevated in fish exposed to low (50% and 60% saturation) DO levels and low temperature (9°C), at days 9, 29 and 48. The intestinal barrier function, measured as electrical resistance (TER) and permeability of mannitol at the end of the experiment, were reduced at 50% DO, in both proximal and distal intestine. When low DO levels were combined with high temperature (16°C), plasma cortisol levels were elevated in the cyclic 1:5 h at 85%:50% DO group and fixed 50% DO group compared to the control (85% DO) group at day 10 but not at later time points. The intestinal barrier function was clearly disturbed in the 50% DO group; TER was reduced in both intestinal regions concomitant with increased paracellular permeability in the distal region. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals that adverse environmental conditions (low water flow, low DO levels at low and high temperature), that can occur in sea cages, elicits primary and secondary stress responses in Atlantic salmon post smolts. The intestinal barrier function was significantly affected by prolonged hypoxic stress even when no primary stress response was observed. This suggests that intestinal barrier function is a good experimental marker for evaluation of chronic stress and that it can be a valuable tool to study the impact of various husbandry conditions on health and welfare of farmed Atlantic salmon.

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  • In Sundh et al. (2010), intestinal barrier function was significantly impaired by increasing the temperature from 10 to 16°C, even when no primary stress response (plasma cortisol) was observed.

    “In that study, intestinal barrier function was significantly impaired by increasing the temperature from 10 to 16°C, even when no primary stress response (plasma cortisol) was observed.”

    From Insights into thermal sensitivity: Effects of elevated temperature on growth, metabolic rate, and stress responses in Atlantic wolffish (<i>Anarhichas lupus</i>) (2025) · cites this paper as Sundh et al. (2010)

    The Discussion and Conclusions say intestinal barrier impairment was more severe in the higher-temperature experiment and persisted after plasma cortisol returned to basal levels. But the Methods describe separate experiments at 8.6°C and 16°C, not a controlled increase from 10°C to 16°C; the Results also report elevated cortisol early in the high-temperature experiment. The claim overstates temperature as the demonstrated cause and omits that cortisol response. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Gut barrier function can be decreased through increased ionic and physical leakiness of the gastrointestinal tract.

    “As part of the secondary stress response, the gut barrier function can be decreased through increased ionic and physical “leakiness” of the gastrointestinal tract (Sundh et al., 2010; Sundh et al., 2018).”

    From Insights into thermal sensitivity: Effects of elevated temperature on growth, metabolic rate, and stress responses in Atlantic wolffish (<i>Anarhichas lupus</i>) (2025) · cites this paper as Sundh et al., 2010

  • Impaired barrier function can be induced in fish by several husbandry-related practices, including acute handling stress, poor water quality, and chronic feed stress.

    “Impaired barrier function can be induced in fish by several different husbandry‐related practices, including acute handling stress (Olsen et al., 2005, 2008; Sundh et al., 2018), poor water quality (Sundh et al., 2009; Sundh et al., 2010; Sundh et al., 2019), and chronic feed stress (Estensoro et al., 2016; Knudsen et al., 2008; Venkatakrishnan et al., 2019; Vidakovic et al., 2016).”

    From Insights into thermal sensitivity: Effects of elevated temperature on growth, metabolic rate, and stress responses in Atlantic wolffish (<i>Anarhichas lupus</i>) (2025) · cites this paper as Sundh et al., 2010

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Hastein T Scarfe AD Lund VL Science-based assessment of welfare: aquatic animals Rev Sci Tech Off Int Epiz 2005 24 2 529 547 16358506

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Related

Authors
Sundh, H., Kvamme, B., Fridell, F., Olsen, R., Ellis, T., Taranger, G., & Sundell, K.
Affiliations
  • University of Gothenburg (SE)
  • Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (NO)
Corresponding author
Sundh, Henrik
ORCID
Venue
BMC Physiology
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2010
Volume
10
Issue
1
Pages
22
ISSN
1472-6793 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/1472-6793-10-22
PMC
PMC2992494
OpenAlex
W2141622955
Cited by
104
References
61
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 6
FWCI
1.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • BMC Physiology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Gothenburg University Publications Electronic Archive (Gothenburg University) (acceptedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas
  • Helge Ax:son Johnsons Stiftelse
  • Vetenskapsrådet
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Aquaculture disease management and microbiota
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Physiological and biochemical adaptations
Keywords
Atlantic salmon, intestinal barrier function, sea cage aquaculture, hypoxia, dissolved oxygen, water temperature, plasma cortisol, transepithelial electrical resistance, intestinal permeability, chronic stress
MeSH terms
Animals, Animal Welfare, Hypoxia, Environmental Exposure, Hydrocortisone, Intestines, Stress, Physiological, Biomarkers, Aquaculture, Salmo salar

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