Bharath Kumar-Velmurugan, Ing-Fong Jiang, Hung-Yuan Shih, Der-Nan Lee, and Ching-Feng Weng (2012)
Respiratory burst activity in head kidney and spleen leukocytes of tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) under
acute osmotic stress. Zoological Studies 51(8): 1290-1297. Tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus is capable
of surviving in a wide range of salinities and temperatures. In the present study, we determined how salinity
influences the respiratory burst (RB) activity of tilapia. At first, tilapia were exposed to freshwater (FW) or 25 ppt
seawater (SW), and serum was isolated from these groups. Further, leukocytes of the head kidneys (HKs) and
spleen were isolated from tilapia exposed to 300 or 500 mOsm osmolality. Following osmolality exposure, cells
were incubated (1) without serum (as the control), (2) with serum of tilapia exposed to fresh water (FW), and (3)
with serum of tilapia exposed 25 ppt seawater (SW). A cell viability assay indicated that exposure of HK and
spleen leukocytes to 300 and 500 mOsm up to 24 h failed to inhibit cell viability. When comparing RB activities
at the 2 osmolalities without adding serum, HK and spleen leukocytes cultured at 500 mOsm osmolality for 4, 8,
and 24 h were found to have higher activities than those cultured at 300 mOsm osmolality. RB activities of HK
and spleen leukocytes showed significant decreases in both 300 and 500 mOsm incubated cells after adding
serum, and the decrease was more distinct at an osmolality of 500 mOsm. These results imply that the addition
of serum might cause a suppressive effect on cellular parameters rather than improving the effects of cytokines
on cellular parameters. http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/51.8/1290.pdf