Low-Temperature Stress-Induced Hepatic Injury in Darkbarbel Catfish (<i>Pelteobagrus vachelli</i>): Mediated by Gut–Liver Axis Dysregulation
Low-temperature stress serves as a critical abiotic stressor that severely restricts fish survival, biogeographic distribution, and aquaculture productivity. <i>Pelteobagrus vachelli</i>, an economically significant freshwater fish species, displays marked sensitivity to low-temperature...
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2025-06-01
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| Series: | Antioxidants |
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| author | Amei Liu Guoqing Duan Libo Yang Yuting Hu Huaxing Zhou Huan Wang |
| author_facet | Amei Liu Guoqing Duan Libo Yang Yuting Hu Huaxing Zhou Huan Wang |
| author_sort | Amei Liu |
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| description | Low-temperature stress serves as a critical abiotic stressor that severely restricts fish survival, biogeographic distribution, and aquaculture productivity. <i>Pelteobagrus vachelli</i>, an economically significant freshwater fish species, displays marked sensitivity to low-temperature stress; however, its molecular adaptive mechanisms remain poorly characterized. In this study, we systematically investigated hepatic and intestinal cold stress responses in <i>P. vachelli</i> through a 7-day acute low-temperature exposure trial (6 °C and 11 °C), integrating histopathological examination, physiological–biochemical assays, metabolomics, and 16S rRNA sequencing. Histopathological observations revealed pronounced hepatic vacuolar degeneration, nuclear dissolution, and enhanced inflammatory cell infiltration under low-temperature conditions. Concurrently, immune-related enzymatic activities—including aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (APK)—were significantly elevated. Furthermore, substantial perturbations in antioxidant defense systems were detected, as indicated by altered superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, alongside malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. Metabolomic profiling identified 539 differentially abundant metabolites, with pathway enrichment analysis highlighting marked alterations in FoxO signaling, amino acid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, ABC transporter, and Purine metabolism. Gut microbiome sequencing demonstrated cold-induced structural dysbiosis within the intestinal microbiota. Correlation analyses revealed robust linkages between hepatic injury biomarkers/metabolites and specific intestinal microbial taxa. Collectively, this study delineates the interplay between hepatic metabolic reprogramming and gut microbiota dysbiosis during cold adaptation in <i>P. vachelli</i>, establishing a theoretical framework for developing gut–liver axis-targeted strategies to augment cold tolerance in aquatic species. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0a7ab52dab3a4266b15ed5bb3c57da72 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-3921 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Antioxidants |
| spelling | doaj-art-0a7ab52dab3a4266b15ed5bb3c57da722025-08-20T03:13:42ZengMDPI AGAntioxidants2076-39212025-06-0114776210.3390/antiox14070762Low-Temperature Stress-Induced Hepatic Injury in Darkbarbel Catfish (<i>Pelteobagrus vachelli</i>): Mediated by Gut–Liver Axis DysregulationAmei Liu0Guoqing Duan1Libo Yang2Yuting Hu3Huaxing Zhou4Huan Wang5Institute of Fisheries Science, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nongke South Road, Hefei 230031, ChinaInstitute of Fisheries Science, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nongke South Road, Hefei 230031, ChinaInstitute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei 230088, ChinaInstitute of Fisheries Science, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nongke South Road, Hefei 230031, ChinaInstitute of Fisheries Science, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nongke South Road, Hefei 230031, ChinaInstitute of Fisheries Science, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nongke South Road, Hefei 230031, ChinaLow-temperature stress serves as a critical abiotic stressor that severely restricts fish survival, biogeographic distribution, and aquaculture productivity. <i>Pelteobagrus vachelli</i>, an economically significant freshwater fish species, displays marked sensitivity to low-temperature stress; however, its molecular adaptive mechanisms remain poorly characterized. In this study, we systematically investigated hepatic and intestinal cold stress responses in <i>P. vachelli</i> through a 7-day acute low-temperature exposure trial (6 °C and 11 °C), integrating histopathological examination, physiological–biochemical assays, metabolomics, and 16S rRNA sequencing. Histopathological observations revealed pronounced hepatic vacuolar degeneration, nuclear dissolution, and enhanced inflammatory cell infiltration under low-temperature conditions. Concurrently, immune-related enzymatic activities—including aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (APK)—were significantly elevated. Furthermore, substantial perturbations in antioxidant defense systems were detected, as indicated by altered superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, alongside malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. Metabolomic profiling identified 539 differentially abundant metabolites, with pathway enrichment analysis highlighting marked alterations in FoxO signaling, amino acid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, ABC transporter, and Purine metabolism. Gut microbiome sequencing demonstrated cold-induced structural dysbiosis within the intestinal microbiota. Correlation analyses revealed robust linkages between hepatic injury biomarkers/metabolites and specific intestinal microbial taxa. Collectively, this study delineates the interplay between hepatic metabolic reprogramming and gut microbiota dysbiosis during cold adaptation in <i>P. vachelli</i>, establishing a theoretical framework for developing gut–liver axis-targeted strategies to augment cold tolerance in aquatic species.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/14/7/762low-temperature stressdarkbarbel catfish (<i>Pelteobagrus vachelli</i>)antioxidantsgut microbiotametabolomegut–liver axis |
| spellingShingle | Amei Liu Guoqing Duan Libo Yang Yuting Hu Huaxing Zhou Huan Wang Low-Temperature Stress-Induced Hepatic Injury in Darkbarbel Catfish (<i>Pelteobagrus vachelli</i>): Mediated by Gut–Liver Axis Dysregulation Antioxidants low-temperature stress darkbarbel catfish (<i>Pelteobagrus vachelli</i>) antioxidants gut microbiota metabolome gut–liver axis |
| title | Low-Temperature Stress-Induced Hepatic Injury in Darkbarbel Catfish (<i>Pelteobagrus vachelli</i>): Mediated by Gut–Liver Axis Dysregulation |
| title_full | Low-Temperature Stress-Induced Hepatic Injury in Darkbarbel Catfish (<i>Pelteobagrus vachelli</i>): Mediated by Gut–Liver Axis Dysregulation |
| title_fullStr | Low-Temperature Stress-Induced Hepatic Injury in Darkbarbel Catfish (<i>Pelteobagrus vachelli</i>): Mediated by Gut–Liver Axis Dysregulation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Low-Temperature Stress-Induced Hepatic Injury in Darkbarbel Catfish (<i>Pelteobagrus vachelli</i>): Mediated by Gut–Liver Axis Dysregulation |
| title_short | Low-Temperature Stress-Induced Hepatic Injury in Darkbarbel Catfish (<i>Pelteobagrus vachelli</i>): Mediated by Gut–Liver Axis Dysregulation |
| title_sort | low temperature stress induced hepatic injury in darkbarbel catfish i pelteobagrus vachelli i mediated by gut liver axis dysregulation |
| topic | low-temperature stress darkbarbel catfish (<i>Pelteobagrus vachelli</i>) antioxidants gut microbiota metabolome gut–liver axis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/14/7/762 |
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