Effect of Immersion Treatment in Bovine Insulin on Growth, Nutrient Retention and Proteolytic Enzyme Activity in Chaivna Punctatus (BLOCH)

Abstract

Effect of bovine insulin immersion on growth response in Channa punctatus fingerlings was studied. The fish were immersed in insulin at 10 or 50 14/100 distilled water for 15 minutes weekly for 11 weeks, with treatment without hormone as control. They were maintained under laboratory conditions (LD 12:12 at 25LC) for 80 days. Growth performance including nutrient retention were significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced in fingerlings treated with the lower dose (10 j.tg) of insulin in comparison with control or fish treated with the higher dose (50 lig) of hormone. The percent gain in body weight was 100.9±0.46 at the lower dose of insulin treatment while at higher dose (70.70.22) and controls (60.70.038) the values remained low. Food conversion values and excretion of metabolites (N-NHe and o-PO4-) remained significantly low (P < 0.05) and nutrient retention (PER, GPR and GER) high at the lower dose of insulin. The fingerlings treated with lower dose of insulin also showed significantly high (P < 0.05) intestinal proteolytic enzyme activity, hepato-somatic index (HSI) and viscero-somatic index (VSI) while a reduction in hepatic glycogen levels was observed. Carcass composition determined at the end of treatment period indicated high accumulation of protein and fat in fish treated with the lower dose of hormone. These findings indicate that at the lower dose insulin acts as an anabolic hormone in C. punctatus.