Administration of immunostimulants in fish is a preventive method to combat infections. A wide variety of these biological molecules exist, among which one of the yeast wall compounds stands out for its different biological activities. The β-glucan that forms the structural part of yeast is capable of generating immune activity in fish by cell receptor recognition. The most frequently used β-glucans for the study of mechanisms of action are those of commercial origin, with doses recommended by the manufacturer. Nevertheless, their immune activity is inefficient in some fish species, and increasing the dose may show adverse effects, including immunosuppression. Conversely, experimental β-glucans from other yeast species show different activities, such as antibacterial, antioxidant, healing, and stress tolerance properties.
1. Introduction
Given the accelerated growth of the aquaculture industry, the use of whole yeasts and their derived compounds as immunostimulants has been shown to be an excellent approach
[1]. Yeasts are unicellular organisms distributed worldwide in a wide range of environments
[2][3]. Their benefits are so extensive that they are also used in feed production as partial protein replacers
[4][5]. Yeasts play a biological role within microbial communities in the fish intestine, including nutrient supply, pathogen control, and mucosal immunity maintenance
[6][7]. Additionally, compounds of interest in the yeast cell wall promote biological activities in fish, such as mannan-oligosaccharide (immunostimulant)
[8] and β-glucan (wound healing, stress resistance, immunostimulant, and disease protection)
[9][10][11][12][13]. For instance, cell wall β-glucans have generated immunobiological activities in various animal taxonomic groups (birds, crustaceans, mammals and fish)
[14][15][16][17]. Furthermore, β-glucans support other biological activities, including antibacterial
[18], antioxidant
[19], wound healing
[11], and stress tolerance
[12] effects. β-glucans are polysaccharides composed of glucose monomers joined by glycosidic bonds
[20]. Their immunostimulant activities have been attributed to chemical composition, structural conformation, and molecular weight, among other factors
[21]. All these characteristics depend on the yeast strain’s origin, and may affect their immunostimulant properties (
Table 1). Meanwhile, β-glucans are recognized by several immune cell receptors
[17][18] and generate immune responses that strengthen resistance to pathogenic bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses
[11][19]. β-glucans have been shown to promote disease resistance by stimulating the immune system in fish species
[12][21]. However, a possible immune signaling pathway, dose, and effective route of administration have not yet been indicated. Added to this is the potential of experimental β-glucans extracted from other yeasts, which can be used to benefit freshwater and marine fish production.
Table 1. Molecular weights of β-glucans from different yeast species.
Species |
Mw * |
Reference |
Cystobasidium benthicum |
2.32 kDa |
[22] |
Saccharomyces cerevisiae (bakery) |
175 kDa |
[23] |
Saccharomyces uvarum |
220 kDa |
[24] |
Saccharomyces cerevisiae (brewery) |
240 kDa |
[25] |
Debaryomyces hansenii (BCS004) |
689.35 kDa |
[26] |
This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/ani12162154