ARTICLE 58 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2026 Health markers and stress mitigation Beyond growth performance, nucleotides play a vital role in modulating the immune-inflammatory axis. Research indicates that high‑IMP supplementation at 0.5–1.0 g/kg provides the following benefits: • Reduced systemic inflammation: A linear trend toward decreased pro‑inflammatory cytokines, particularly Tumor Necrosis Factor‑α (TNF‑α), suggests a more controlled inflammatory response during the weaning transition. • Enhanced cellular protection: The oxidative DNA damage marker 8‑hydroxy‑deoxyguanosine (8‑OHdG) was lowest at the 0.5 g/kg supplementation level, indicating improved genomic stability under stress. • Improved gut health stability : Diarrhea scores were lowest on Day 8 for pigs receiving 0.5 g/kg. This reflects reduced morbidity and leads to lower associated labor and treatment costs for the producers. COMPREHENSIVE BENEFITS OF DIETARY NUCLEOTIDES IN FISH AND SHRIMP Synergistic growth and cellular mechanisms Dietary nucleotides significantly improve weight gain and FCR across multiple aquaculture species, including Pacific white shrimp and Nile tilapia (Xiong et al., 2018, Asaduzzaman et al., 2017). In tilapia, these growth-promoting mechanisms have been observed at the cellular level. Nucleotide supplementation stimulates both muscle hyperplasia (formation of new muscle fibers) and hypertrophy (expansion of existing fibers) (Asaduzzaman et al., 2017). Furthermore, nucleotides upregulate key growth‑related genes, including pituitary Growth Hormone (GH) and hepatic Insulin‑like Growth Factor‑1 (IGF‑1) (Asaduzzaman et al., 2017). Fortification of innate immunity & disease resistance Because invertebrates, such as shrimp, lack an adaptive immune system, they depend entirely on innate immunity for pathogen defense (Xiong et al., 2018). Nucleotide supplementation effectively activates this non‑specific immune defenses, significantly increasing serum activities of phenoloxidase (PO) and lysozyme (Xiong et al., 2018) (See Figure 2). By upregulating immune‑related genes, nucleotides markedly enhance disease resistance and survival in both shrimp and fish during severe pathogenic challenges (Xiong et al., 2018; Shiau et al., 2015; Burrells et al., 2001). Alleviation of environmental stress in high-density farming In intensive aquaculture systems, the accumulation of nitrogenous waste products, such as ammonia, represents a significant environmental stressor. During acute ammonia exposure, shrimp fed a nucleotide-supplemented diet exhibited significantly higher survival rates - up to 93.3% compared to just 66.7% in the control group (Yong et al., 2020). a ab ab 65.8b a a a 50.6b 60,0 55,0 50,0 45,0 40,0 35,0 30,0 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 Control NT 0.05% NT 0.15% NT 0.25% Lysozyme (U/ml) Phenoloxidase (U/ml) Phenoloxidase Lysozyme Serum phenoloxidase and lysozyme activity Figure 2. Effects of dietary nucleotide levels on serum phenoloxidase and lysozyme activities in shrimp
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