Amin Oujifard

Background: The application of prebiotics to replace the overuse of antibiotics has practical significance in sustainability of the fish farming. Previously, prebiotics have shown to confer benefits in growth promotion, immunostimulation, and disease control in fish culture. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary Xylo-oligosaccharide prebiotic on the physiological responses and intestine structure and expression of immune-related and growth-related genes in sobaity (Sparidentex hasta). Methodology: In this regard, diets were supplemented as 3 treatments including zero (control) and containing 0.5 and 1 percent Xylo-oligosaccharide prebiotic for 8 weeks. For this purpose, 180 fish (average weight 35.14±0.8 g) were randomly distributed into 9 tank containing 300 liters with three replicates for each treatment and were fed two times daily. Result: The results showed the glucose and triglyceride plasma content were not significantly affected by different treatments. (P > 0.05). The plasma cholesterol content was significantly higher in fish fed dietary 0. 5 % compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The dietary XOS had no significant effect on intestinal morphology of sobaityfish (P > 0.05). Also there was no significant difference in the expression level of immune-related (IL-1β ) and growth-related genes (IGF-I) compared to control (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Overall, this study showed that the diet supplemented with the used levels of Xylo-oligosaccharide had no significant effects on parameters measured.