Teprenone (geranylgeranylacetone) is one kind of safe and effective agent in gastrointestinal mucosa, which have been widely used in human and veterinary, but rarely used in aquaculture animals. In this study, Lateolabrax maculatus, an important economic fish species in southern China, was taken as the object of study to investigate the protective effect of teprenone on intestinal stress. The present study was designed to investigate the potential mechanism underlying the protection offered by teprenone to protect the gastrointestinal tract against hypoxia and reoxygenation injury of L. maculatus. (a) For oxidative stress parameters, SOD, CAT, and T-AOC in control group were higher than those in teprenone group. MDA content was significantly higher than that in teprenone group at N and 12h time points in intestine (P < 0.05), and at 12, 24, and 48 h time points in stomach. (b) For immune-associated proteins, LZM activity in the control group was lower than that in the teprenone group, and the difference between the two groups in stomach and intestine was significant at 12.48 h and 6.48 h time points, respectively (P < 0.05). Compared with time point N, the content of HSP70 in the control group increased at 0 h in intestine. At 0-48 h, intestine HSP70 content in the control group showed a gradually decreasing trend, which was higher than that in the teprenone group. (c) For apoptosis-related factors, the activity of Cyt-C, caspase9, and caspase3 increased first and then decreased in both groups. The content of Cyt-C in the control group was significantly higher than that in the teprenone group at N-3.6 h, and 3.48 h time points in stomach and intestine, respectively (P<0.05). The activity of caspase9 and caspase3 was higher than that in the teprenone group at N-48 h. Results indicated that acute hypoxia and reoxygenation cause the expression levels of oxidative stress and apoptosis-related factors in the stomach and intestine increased first and then decreased within 0-48 h. Acute hypoxia and reoxygenation also that causes the level of nonspecific immunity decreased first and then increased. A total of 400-mg/kg treatment of teprenone can protect stomach and intestinal tissues to a certain extent. It can effectively protect oxidative stress and apoptosis within 0-48 h after acute hypoxia and reoxygenation and enhance non-specific immunity.
Keywords: Hypoxia; Injury; Lateolabrax maculatus; Reoxygenation; Teprenone.