Aquaculture fish are kept for long periods in sea cages or tanks. Consequently, accumulated stress causes the fish to present serious problems with critical economic losses. Fish food has been supplemented to reduce this stress, using many components as amino acids such as tryptophan. This study aims to determine the transcriptional effect of tryptophan and cortisol on primary cell cultures of salmon head and posterior kidney. Our results indicate activation of the kynurenine pathway and serotonin activity when stimulated with tryptophan and cortisol. An amount of 95% of tryptophan is degraded by the kynurenine pathway, indicating the relevance of knowing how this pathway is activated and if stress levels associated with fish culture trigger its activation. Additionally, it is essential to know the consequence of increasing kynurenic acid "KYNA" levels in the short and long term, and even during the fish ontogeny.
Keywords: aquaculture; cell culture; fish; neurotransmitter; stress.