The current state of biosecurity and welfare of ornamental fish population in pet fish stores in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand

Aquaculture has undergone extensive development in recent decades due to its use as a source of protein for human consumption, as models for scientific research, and as pets. The purpose of this study was to survey ornamental fish stores in Chiang Mai province, Thailand to identify practices which affect life quality and welfare of pet fish including general management, biosecurity management, and knowledge about fish disease and drug usage of ornamental fish store owners. The results show that most pet fish stores have poor husbandry in terms of fish health based on the observed incidence of skin erosion and fin rot (92.86%) and white spots on the skin (78.57%) in store fish. Moreover, treatment of these health conditions were performed by experienced people working in the stores without consulting a veterinarian. The top three drugs used for treatment included malachite green oxalate, trichlorfon, and formalin. Interestingly, oxytetracycline and chlortetracycline were also used frequently to treat fish disease. Despite a lack of formal training in fish management, fish health, and drug usage in ornamental fish, the knowledge of owners about fish disease and antibacterial agent usage was determined to be of an intermediate level based on testing. The information gained from this study can be used in future studies to identify stressors that affect pet fish welfare and to investigate biosecurity and ornamental fish welfare in the other sectors of the ornamental fish trade supply chain

Antioxidant Potential and Cytotoxic Effect of Isoflavones Extract from Thai Fermented Soybean (Thua-Nao)

Thua-nao, or Thai fermented soybeans, is a traditional Lanna fermented food in Northern Thailand. It is produced by using a specific bacterial species called Bacillus subtilis var. Thua-nao. We investigated the antioxidant activity and cytotoxic effect of isoflavones from Thua-nao. The phenolic compound contents and total flavonoid contents were determined by spectrophotometry. The antioxidant activity was examined using the ABTS, FRAP, and DPPH assays. The isoflavone contents and phenolic compositions were examined by the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) techniques. The ability of isoflavones to inhibit human cancer cell growth was assessed by the MTT assay. The total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activities of the isoflavones were 49.00 ± 0.51 mg GAE/g of dry extract (DE), 10.76 ± 0.82 mg QE/g of DE, 61.03 ± 0.97 µmol Trolox/g of DE, 66.54 ± 3.97 µM FeSO4/g of DE, and 22.47 ± 1.92% of DPPH inhibition, respectively. Additionally, the isoflavone extracts from Thua-nao had high isoflavone contents and polyphenolic compound compositions, especially daidzein and genistein. The isoflavone demonstrated a weak inhibition of MCF-7 and HEK293 cancer cell growth. It has a high antioxidant component, which is beneficial and can be developed for new therapeutic uses. However, further studies on the benefits of Thua-nao should be performed for realizing better and more effective uses soon