Homeopathy 2019; 108(01): 043-053
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1672197
Original Research Article
The Faculty of Homeopathy

Immune and Antioxidant Enzyme Response of Longfin Yellowtail (Seriola rivoliana) Juveniles to Ultra-diluted Substances Derived from Phosphorus, Silica and Pathogenic Vibrio

José Manuel Mazón-Suástegui
1   Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste S.C. (CIBNOR), La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
,
Joan Salas-Leiva
1   Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste S.C. (CIBNOR), La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
,
Andressa Teles
1   Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste S.C. (CIBNOR), La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
,
Dariel Tovar-Ramírez
1   Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste S.C. (CIBNOR), La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

05 April 2018

22 August 2018

Publication Date:
20 November 2018 (online)

Abstract

Background This research aimed to observe the effect of homeopathic treatments prepared from Vibrio parahaemolyticus and V. alginolyticus (H1) and commercial homeopathic medication Phosphoricum acidum and Silicea terra (H2) on the immune and antioxidant response in Seriola rivoliana juveniles under usual culture conditions and challenged with V. parahaemolyticus.

Materials and Methods Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to study changes in the expression of key genes related to immune response, cytokines (interleukin-1β [IL-1β]), adapter protein for cytokine release (MyD88) and piscidin and spectrophotometric techniques to analyze the activity of antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzymes in Seriola rivoliana juveniles at 30 (weaning stage [WS]) and 60 (early juveniles [EJ]) days post-hatching.

Results The H1 treatment led to over-expression of the IL-1β and MyD88 genes in fish at WS and EJ with respect to control, contrary to the H2 treatment that led to under-expression of the IL-1β, MyD88 and piscidin genes at the EJ stage. In fish challenged with V. parahaemolyticus, both H1 and H2 led to over-expression of IL-1β and MyD88; H2 caused an over-expression of piscidin. The SOD activity was higher in H1 with respect to H2 and the control group. CAT remained relatively stable with both H1 and H2 treatments.

Conclusions The results suggest that the overall effect of H1 was due to the presence of unknown antigens in low concentrations, while the response to H2—specifically during challenge—may have been due to a stimulating effect of nano-structures, prevailing from mother tincture after sequential dilution/succussion, in a pathway similar to that attributed to nano-vaccines.

Highlights

• Effect of two homeopathic treatments on immune and antioxidant response in Seriola rivoliana was evaluated.


• Homeopathy generated from Vibrio pathogenic strains caused stimulation of immune system in Seriola rivoliana.


• The expression of MyD88 and IL-1β by nosode seems to initiate a cascade of intracellular signaling initiated by the recognition of a PAMP by the TLR-like receptor.