Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Extract – body fluid – or cellular material of undetermined... – Endocrine system – other than the thymus gland
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-26
2001-05-29
Prats, Francisco (Department: 1651)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Extract, body fluid, or cellular material of undetermined...
Endocrine system, other than the thymus gland
C424S520000, C424S565000, C514S002600, C514S021800
Reexamination Certificate
active
06238706
ABSTRACT:
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to aquaculture, and, in particular, to the use of growth hormones, especially bovine somatotropin (bST), to enhance the rate at which aquatic animals grow.
Fish is a recognized source of food. World-wide demand for wild-caught fish has lead to a phenomenal growth in the aquaculture industry. World-wide demand for fish continues to grow. Fish are found world wide, and can be fairly inexpensive where fish are plentiful. If fish could be grown more quickly, farm grown fish could be harvested more quickly than presently possible. This could increase the supply of fish and concomitantly reduce the cost of fish to consumers and reduce the threat of over fishing of wild populations of fish and the effects on the environment of such over fishing. A considerable amount of research has been conducted with aquatic animals, and in particular, with methods or treatments to increase the rate of growth of aquatic animals. Some of this research has focused on the use of growth hormones (including bST) and methods of administering growth hormones to fish. Fish have been injected with growth hormones and immersed in growth hormone solutions. Because of the configuration of fish muscles and skin, the skin does not readily close up at the injection site, and hormones injected subdermally or intramuscularly can simply be washed out of the fish. The injection of bST into fish thus has not been a successful method of administering growth hormones.
I know of two studies in which fish were treated with growth hormones: (1) Growth Stimulation of Juvenile Salmonids by Immersion in Recombinant Salmon Growth Hormone, Moriyama et al.,
Nippon Suisan Gakaishi
, 56(1):31-34 (1990); and (2) Experimental Administration of Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone To Juvenile Rainbow Trout (Salmo Gairdineri) By Injection Or By Immersion, Schulte, et. al.,
Aquaculture
, 76:145-156 (1989). Both studies used low levels of growth hormone. In the former study fish were immersed in a solution containing 30 mg/l of BSA; in the latter study, fish were injected with 10 &mgr;g growth hormone/g body weight. The method disclosed in the latter study (Schulte, et. al.) did not show a marked difference between the treated and control groups. In the former study, the authors concluded that immersion in rsGH may be useful as a method of GH (growth hormone) administration to accelerate the growth of fish in aquaculturc. However, there are advances that can still be made in the administration of growth hormones to fish, particularly in the manner of administration of the growth hormone to enhance or accelerate the growth of fish.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method of increasing the rate of growth of aquatic animals comprises immersing the aquatic animal in a solution of growth hormone. When immersed in the growth hormone solution, the aquatic animal swallows the solution, and the growth hormone is absorbed through the aquatic animal's gut, rather than through its skin, muscle, or gills. The administration of growth hormones to the aquatic animals is believed to increase the animals' metabolism and thus stimulate growth. The increased rate of growth is accomplished using natural products (or synthesized copies of the natural products). The genetic phenotype or the cellular consistency of the aquatic animal is not altered.
The growth hormone solution (or treatment solution) contains 3-3000 mg growth hormone per liter. Preferably, the solution contains 150-450 mg, and most preferably 300 mg growth hormone solution per liter. The growth hormone is bST, although other related growth hormones should work equally as well. Additionally, the treatment solution includes at least some salt to make the solution at least slightly saline. The growth hormone solution is supersaturated with oxygen to enable the aquatic animals to be treated for longer periods of time. This places the aquatic animal in a state of suspended animation. Prior to immersing the aquatic animal in the growth hormone solution, the aquatic animals are osmotically shocked in a higher concentration, hyperosmotic, saline solution. The salinity of the shocking solution depends on the aquatic animal being shocked. The salinity of the treatment solution is preferably about one-half that of the shocking solution. The growth hormone solution, depending on the aquatic animal being treated, can be refrigerated. The aquatic animals are immersed in the treatment solution for between two minutes and six hours. Preferably, the immersion time is 30 minutes to 2 hours, and most preferably about one to one-and-one half hours. After the treatment period has elapsed, the temperature of the aquatic animal is slowly raised to an ambient temperature, for example, by titrating the growth hormone solution with warmer water.
The aquatic animals are preferably treated at any time up to about six-months of age. Preferably, however, the aquatic animals are treated when young, i.e., less than nine days old, and more preferably, when less than twenty-four hours old.
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patent: 4863736 (1989-09-01), Azain et al.
patent: 5089473 (1992-02-01), Krivi et al.
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patent: 5474980 (1995-12-01), Mitchell
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patent: 6017447 (2000-01-01), Wright et al.
Caldwell et al. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health, vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 168-171, 1995.*
Edsall et al. The Progressive Fish-Culturist, vol. 53, pp. 95-97, 1991.*
Seafood International, vol. 6, No. 12, p. 48, 1991.*
Schulte, Down, Donaldson and Souza/Experimental Administration of Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone to Juvenile Rainbow Trout (Salmo gairdneri) by Injection or by Immersion/Aquaculture, 76 (1989) pp. 145-156/Elsevier Science Publishers, b.V., Amsterdam-Netherlands.
S. Moriyama and H. Kawauchi/“Growth Stimulation of Juvenile Salmonids by Immersion in Recombinant Salmon Growth Hormone”/Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi 56(1), pp. 31-34 (1990).
Agellon et al., “Promotion Of Rapid Growth Of Rainbow Trout (Salmo gairdneriby a Recombinant Fish Growth Hormone” Can. J. Fish. Aqua. Sci., vol. 45 (1988) pp. 146-151.
Coe Susan D.
GroFish L.L.C.
Polster Lieder Woodruff & Lucchesi
Prats Francisco
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