Inclusion of natural antioxidant compounds in fish feeds to counteract oxidative stress

Abstract

Oxidative stress is a type of damage caused by different kinds of pollutants such as xenobiotics, or by a deficiency in the body’s own antioxidant mechanisms. It occurs because of a disturbance in the balance between the formation of free radicals and cellular antioxidants, often resulting in cell damage and physiological disorders. Among the most common and studied impacts are: lipid oxidation, protein, and nucleic acid damage. As a strategy to offset or minimize such damage, including sources of natural antioxidants in food to fishes has been opted, which unlike synthetic ones, these do not have side effects on the body. Amid the most used compounds are α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds. Therefore, the results of research on the inclusion of these compounds in fish diets will be discussed in this paper.