The present study was designed to determine the modulatory effects of arginine and citrulline dietary supplementation on the immune condition and inflammatory response of European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax. Four diets were manufactured: a control diet (CTRL) was formulated to meet the indispensable amino acids profile established for seabass. Based on this formulation, three other diets were supplemented with l-arginine at two different levels (0.5% and 1%, ARG1 and ARG2, respectively) and l-citrulline at 0.5% (CIT). Fish were fed these diets for 2 or 4 weeks under controlled conditions. At the end of 4 weeks, fish from all dietary treatments were intraperitoneally-injected with Photobacterium damselae piscicida and sampled after 4, 24 our 48 h. Immune status was characterized by a lymphocyte time-dependent decrease regardless of dietary treatment, whereas peroxidase values dropped in time in fish fed ARG1 and ARG2 and was lower at 4 weeks in fish fed ARG1 than in fish fed CTRL. Up-regulation of several genes was more evident in ARG1-and CIT-fed fish, though pro-inflammatory cytokines were down-regulated by CIT dietary treatment. Following immune stimulation, seabass fed ARG1 showed a decrease in neutrophils and monocytes circulating numbers. On the other hand, expression of 17 selected immune and inflammatory responses genes was barely affected by dietary treatments. Based on the analyzed parameters, results suggest an active role of dietary arginine/citrulline supplementation in modulating immune defenses that seem to translate into a suppressed immune repertoire, mostly at the cell response level. The observed changes due to citrulline dietary supplementation were in part similar to those caused by arginine, suggesting that citrulline might have been used by macrophages as an arginine precursor and then engaged in similar immune-impairment leading mechanisms.
