: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of different dietary Trp concentrations on the stress and metabolism response of juvenile Senegalese soles (Solea senegalensis). Fish (38.1 ± 1.9 g) were fed different Trp-enriched feeds (0%, 1% and 2% Trp added) for two and eight days, and later exposed to air stress for three min. Samples were taken pre- and 1 h post-stress (condition). Plasma cortisol, lactate, glucose and proteins were significantly affected by the sampling time, showing higher values at 1 h post-stress. Trp concentration in food also had significant effects on lactate and glucose levels. However, the feeding period did not affect these parameters. Post-stress values were higher than in the pre-stress condition for every plasma parameter, except for lactate in two days and 1% Trp treatment. Nevertheless, cortisol, glucose and lactate did not vary significantly between pre- and post-stress samplings in fish fed the 1% Trp-enriched diet for two days. The lack of variability in cortisol response was also due to the high pre-stress value, significantly superior to pre-stress control. The exposure time to Trp feeding did not significantly affect any enzyme activity; however, Trp added and condition influenced protein-related enzyme activities. In spite of decreasing stress markers, Trp-enriched diets altered the protein metabolism.
Keywords: Senegalese sole; feeding; metabolism; stress; tryptophan; welfare.