Orally administrable immunostimulant product for aquaculture

1. An orally administrable immunostimulant product comprising at least a microencapsulated recombinant cytokine and an enteric protection polymer, wherein said recombinant cytokine is a fish cytokine or a mollusc cytokine or a crustacean cytokine.

2. The orally administrable immunostimulant product according to claim 1 , characterized in that said microencapsulated recombinant cytokine is tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα).

3. The orally administrable immunostimulant product according to claim 1 , characterized in that said microencapsulated recombinant cytokine is over-expressed in a host microorganism that is a yeast.

4. The orally administrable immunostimulant product according to claim 3 , characterized in that said yeast is Pichia pastoris.

5. The orally administrable immunostimulant product according to any one of the claims 1 , 2 to 4 , characterized in that said microencapsulated recombinant cytokine is from a marine organism suitable for aquaculture selected from the group consisting of Sparus aurata, Dicentrarchus labrax, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Psetta maxima, Dentex dentex, Diplodus puntazzo, Pagellus bogaraveo, Argyrosomus regius, Anguilla anguilla , and Octopus sp.

6. The orally administrable immunostimulant product according to any one of claims 1 , 2 to 4 , characterized in that said product is suitable for being fed to a multi-cellular organism selected from the group consisting of Artemia sp. and phylum Rotifera.

7. The orally administrable immunostimulant product according to any one of claims 1 , 2 to 4 , characterized in that said cytokine and/or the host microorganism comprising the microencapsulated recombinant cytokine is microencapsulated with an enteric protection polymer.

8. The orally administrable immunostimulant product according to claim 1 prepared by a process comprising the steps of:

selecting a fish, mollusc or crustacean cDNA coding for the cytokine;

cloning the cDNA in an expression vector for cytokine expression in an appropriate host microorganism;

culturing the host microorganism;

obtaining the recombinant cytokine or a culture of the host microorganism comprising the recombinant cytokine;

microencapsulating the recombinant cytokine or the host microorganism comprising the recombinant cytokine; and

obtaining the microencapsulated recombinant cytokine or a microencapsulated host microorganism comprising the recombinant cytokine.

9. The orally administrable immunostimulant product prepared by the process according to claim 8 , characterized in that said host microorganism is a yeast selected from the group consisting of Pichia pastoris, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Kluyveromyces lactis.

10. The orally administrable immunostimulant product prepared by the process according to claim 8 or 9 , characterized in that said microencapsulating step is carried out by atomization by spray drying in the presence of an enteric protection polymer selected from the group consisting of cellulose acetate phthalate, hydroxypropyl cellulose phthalate, carboxymetyl cellulose, methacrylic acid copolymers, maltodextrin, chitosan, gelatine, starch, and arabic gum.

11. A method of immunostimulating fish, molluscs, or crustaceans in aquaculture, the method comprising orally administering the orally administrable immunostimulant product according to any one of claims 1 , 2 to 4 to fish, molluscs or crustaceans in aquaculture, wherein said fish, molluscs or crustaceans are selected from a group consisting of Sparus aurata, Dicentrarchus labrax, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Psetta maxima, Dentex dentex, Diplodus puntazzo, Pagellus bogaraveo, Argyrosomus regius, Anguilla anguilla , and Octopus sp.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said cytokine is from the same fish, mollusc or crustacean species that the immunostimulation is carried out.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said immunostimulation is carried out by administering the product together with food during feeding.

14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein said immunostimulation is carried out by administering the product together with food during feeding.

15. A process for the preparation of an orally administrable immunostimulant product according to any one of claims 1 , 2 to 4 , characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

selecting a fish, mollusc or crustacean cDNA coding for the cytokine;

cloning the cDNA in an expression vector for cytokine expression in an appropriate host microorganism;

culturing the host microorganism;

obtaining the recombinant cytokine or a culture of the host microorganism comprising the recombinant cytokine;

microencapsulating the recombinant cytokine or the host microorganism comprising the recombinant cytokine; and

obtaining the microencapsulated recombinant cytokine or a microencapsulated host microorganism comprising the recombinant cytokine.

16. The process according to claim 15 , characterized in that said host microorganism is a yeast selected among Pichia pastoris, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Kluyveromyces lactis.

17. The process according to claim 15 , characterized in that said microencapsulation step is carried out by atomization by spray drying in the presence of an enteric protection polymer selected from the group consisting of cellulose acetate phthalate, hydroxypropyl cellulose phthalate, carboxymethyl cellulose, methacrylic acid copolymers, maltodextrin, chitosan, gelatin, starch, and arabic gum.

18. The process according to claim 16 , characterized in that said microencapsulation step is carried out by atomization by spray drying in the presence of an enteric protection polymer selected from the group consisting of cellulose acetate phthalate, hydroxypropyl cellulose phthalate, carboxymethyl cellulose, methacrylic acid copolymers, maltodextrin, chitosan, gelatin, starch, and arabic gum.