Heat shock proteins in farmed aquatic animals: advancing animal health and welfare management through building resilience.

Aquaculture is vital for global food security. Intensification of farming practices has compromised the welfare of farmed aquatic animals and increased disease outbreaks. Conventional treatments, such as antibiotics, face growing challenges due to antimicrobial resistance and environmental concerns. Consequently, there is a pressing need for sustainable, welfare-oriented disease management strategies in aquaculture animals. One promising solution involves heat shock proteins belonging to the 70-kDa family [Hsp70s], which provide several health benefits. Hsp70s are evolutionarily conserved proteins produced constitutively or induced in response to various conditions, where they function as molecular chaperones to perform immune-enhancing functions vital for cellular survival during both stable and stressful conditions. Recent advances have highlighted the role of Hsp70s and their inducers in promoting disease tolerance by building resilience and improving overall animal welfare in aquaculture systems. This review integrates current knowledge on the role of Hsp70s in fish stress physiology and welfare and critically evaluates their potential applications as sustainable tools for improving fish health, enhancing welfare outcomes, and controlling disease outbreaks in aquaculture systems.