Relationship between myo-inositol synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism changes in Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) under acute hypersaline stress

Abstract This study was to evaluate the relationship between myo-inositol synthesis and carbohydrate metabolism in Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). Fish were immediately transferred from 0 psu (practical salinity units, the control) to 20 psu for 96 h with 60 fish in each group. Compared with the control group, the volume of the mitochondria-rich cell in the gills of O. mossambicus was significantly increased by acute hypersaline stress. The osmotic pressure and the contents of Na+, K+ and Cl− in the serum were significantly increased in the 20 psu group. Moreover, fish in the 20 psu group had significantly higher activities of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase and a higher malondialdehyde content than the control in the liver. Salinity stress significantly increased the serum glucose but decreased the liver glycogen. The activities of glucokinase and phosphofructokinase in the liver and gills were significantly higher in the 20 psu group, indicating that glycolysis could be significantly enhanced by salinity stress. The activities of glucose-6-phosphate synthase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in the liver were significantly decreased by salinity stress. The expressions of myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase and myo-inositol monophosphatase were significantly up-regulated in the gills and kidney. However, the expressions of these two genes were significantly down-regulated in the liver. The myo-inositol content in the gills, kidney and liver in the 20 psu group were significantly increased by salinity stress. This study indicates that salinity stress can impair the gill structure and reduce the antioxidant capacity of O. mossambicus. The changes in MI biosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism could be an effective strategy to alleviate the adverse effect of salinity stress.