Evaluation of the antibacterial activity and protein profiling of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) epidermal mucus under different feeds and culture systems (biofloc technology and earthen pond)

Abstract The mucus layers of fish serve as the main interface between the organism and the environment. They play an important biological and ecological role. The current study focuses on Nile tilapia epidermal mucus reared under different commercial feeds (coded A and B) and environments (biofloc technology and earthen pond systems). Crude protein levels in feed A and B were 30% and 28%, respectively. Water parameters in all culturing systems were suitable for tilapia throughout the study period. The antimicrobial potency of tilapia ( n = 5 from each) epidermal mucus was tested in vitro against human and fish pathogenic strains viz. Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Francisella noatunensis , and Aeromonas hydrophila. To determine the antimicrobial activity, zones of inhibition (ZOI) were measured in millimetres and compared with two antibiotics (chloramphenicol and ciprofloxacin). SDS‐PAGE analysis was performed on skin mucus samples of tilapia to determine protein quantity and size (molecular weight). Results of tilapia skin mucus (crude and aqueous) revealed a strong antibacterial effect against all the selected pathogenic strains. However, variation has been observed in the mucus potency and ZOI values between the biofloc and pond tilapia mucus. The crude mucus of tilapia fed on feed A and cultured in the pond exhibited strong antibacterial effects and high ZOI values compared to the mucus of biofloc tilapia, aqueous mucus extracts and positive control chloramphenicol (antibiotic). The SDS‐PAGE results showed that the high molecular weight proteins were found in the collected epidermal mucus of BFT‐B (240 kDa) and EP‐B (230 kDa). Several peptides in fish skin mucus may play a crucial role in the protection of fish against disease‐causing pathogens. Thus, it can be utilized in the human and veterinary sectors as an ‘antimicrobial’ for treating various bacterial infections.