Effects of γ‐aminobutyric acid supplementation on the growth performance,serum biochemical indices and antioxidant status of pharaoh cuttlefish,Sepia pharaonis

This study evaluated the effects of dietary γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) on the growth performance, serum biochemical indices and antioxidant status of pharaoh cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis. Cuttlefish were cultured in open‐culturing cement pool systems for 8 weeks. Six practical diets supplemented with graded levels of GABA (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mg/kg) were formulated. Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups of 60 cuttlefish (mean weight: 10.33 g), the cuttlefish were fed two times per day to apparent satiation. The results showed that the specific growth rate (SGR), weight gain (WG) and feed efficiency (FE) significantly increased with dietary GABA supplementation (p < .05). The survival rate (SR) and protein content in muscle significantly increased when 58.9 mg/kg GABA supplied. Moreover, the nitric oxide (NO) content and acid phosphatase (ACP) activity in serum were significantly increased with dietary GABA supplementation (p < .05), while the activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum decreased significantly when supplied with GABA at 58.9 mg/kg (p < .05). In addition, dietary GABA improved antioxidation activity by significantly increasing the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) but decreasing malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the liver and gill (p < .05). On the basis of the quadratic regression analysis of FE, the optimum content of dietary GABA in S. pharaonis was estimated to be 55.3 mg/kg. The findings of this study demonstrated that dietary GABA had a positive effect on the growth performance, serum biochemical indices and antioxidant status of S. pharaonis.     

Effect of oil source on growth performance,antioxidant capacity,fatty acid composition and fillet quality of juvenile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

This study was conducted to evaluate the dietary use of vegetable oil sources in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Fish were fed diets having the same lipid level from fish oil (FO), palm oil (PO), rapeseed oil (RO), soybean oil (SO) or linseed oil (LO). The results showed that dietary vegetable oils significantly decreased the feed utilization and a significantly lower growth was observed in SO group, while palm oil showed no effect on the growth performance. Dietary vegetable oils suppressed intestinal digestion by inhibiting the activities of digestive enzymes. Vegetable oils significantly elevated the activities of lipase, hepatic lipase and total lipase in liver, and a phenomenon of intense lipid accumulation emerged in liver of PO and SO groups. Furthermore, linseed oil significantly decreased plasma antioxidant capacity, whereas no significant difference was found between RO and FO groups. Dietary vegetable oils caused a significantly lower EPA and DHA in muscle, and further influenced fillet quality through an increase in cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness and/or springiness, together with a decrease in hardness. Overall, our results indicated that rapeseed oil may be a suitable alternative oil source for grass carp from a point of growth, feed conversion ratio, antioxidative capacity and hepatic histology.     

Effects of fish origin probiotics on growth performance,immune response and intestinal health of shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) fed diets with fish meal partially replaced by soybean meal

This study was conducted to evaluate the application of four fish origin probiotics to relieve the side effects induced by SBM in shrimp. Shrimps were fed with high fish meal diet (C0, positive control containing 500 g/kg FM and 0 g/kg SBM), low fish meal diet (C, control containing 250 g/kg FM and 340 g/kg SBM) or the control diet (C) supplemented, respectively, with 1.0 × 10⁸ CFU/g Bacillus pumilus SE5 (T1), Psychrobacter sp. SE6 (T2), Enterococcus faecium MM4 (T3) or Bacillus claussi DE5 (T4). After 6 weeks of feeding, the growth performance, hepatopancreatic digestive enzymes, intestinal histological structure and immune parameters were determined. The results showed that compared with high FM group (C0), significantly lower WGR and SGR as well as higher FCR were observed in the low FM group (C) (p < .05). Compared with the control, significantly lower FCR was observed in treatment T1 (p < .05), but not in treatments T2–T4. Protease, amylase and lipase activities in all the treatments (T1‐T4) were significantly higher than the control (p < .05). GOT and GPT activities in the control were significantly lower than the C0 (p < .05), while higher MDA level was recorded in the control (p < .05). Meanwhile, higher GPT activities were observed in treatments T1‐T4 compared with the control (p < .05). Compared with the C0, lower SOD, ACP and AKP activities were observed in the control. Significantly improved SOD and AKP activities were observed in all probiotic feeding groups compared with the control (p < .05). The control diet led to significant reduction of intestinal wall thickness and villus height compared with the C0 (p < .05), while significantly higher intestinal wall thickness and villus height were exhibited in all the probiotic groups compared with the control (p < .05), except intestinal wall thickness in treatment T3. Thus, these results demonstrated that the four fish origin probiotic strains could relieve the side effects induced by high level of SBM in shrimp, while probiotic B. pumilus SE5 showed the best performance.     

Administration of probiotic Bacillus licheniformis induces growth,immune and antioxidant enzyme activities,gut microbiota assembly and resistance to Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Litopenaeus vannamei

This study aimed to elucidate the effects of dietary Bacillus licheniformis ATCC 11946 (BL) on the growth, immune and antioxidant activities, intestinal morphology and microbiota, and susceptibility to Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VP_AHPND) in juvenile pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei (LV). Juvenile LV (initial weight = 0.63 ± 0.001) were fed diets containing varying BL concentrations (0 (BL0), 10⁶ (BL1), 10⁷ (BL2) and 10⁸ (BL3) CFU/g feed) for 8 weeks. Growth performance, immune and antioxidant enzyme activities, and intestinal morphology significantly improved in the probiotic‐treated groups than the untreated. Regardless of the treatment group, the two dominant phyla were Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, whereas the two dominant genera were Ruegeria and Vibrio. Increasing inclusion of probiotics in diets led to significant increase in beneficial bacterial genera (Ruegeria, and Pseudoalteromonas) and a significant decrease in some known opportunistic pathogens (Vibrio, Tenacibaculum, Photobacterium, Kangiella and Spongiimonas) with the BL3 group witnessing the best. A 7‐day challenge study with VP_AHPND showed significantly high protection in the probiotic‐treated groups, with the BL3, BL2 and BL1 obtaining 51%, 34% and 22% relative percentage survival, respectively. In conclusion, BL at 10⁸ CFU/g feed should be used to help in shrimp production since it attained the most significant improvement.     

Effects of fish meal replacement by low‐gossypol cottonseed meal on growth performance,digestive enzyme activity,intestine histology and inflammatory gene expression of silver sillago (Sillago sihama Forsskál) (1775)

A 56‐day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects on the growth performance, digestive enzyme activity, inflammatory genes expression and intestine histology of silver sillago, Sillago sihama (Forsskål 1775), by replacing fish meal (FM) with low‐gossypol cottonseed meal (LCSM). Five isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were formulated, including R0 group (control, containing 550.0 g/kg FM), R16 group (88.5 g/kg LCSM and 461.5 g/kg FM), R32 group (177.0 g/kg LCSM and 373.0 g/kg FM), R48 group (265.5 g/kg LCSM and 284.5 g/kg FM) and R64 group (354.0 g/kg LCSM and 196.0 g/kg FM). Fish fed R0 and R16 groups had a significantly higher weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) than R48 and R64 groups (p < .05). In contrast to whole‐body crude protein, whole‐body moisture increased with the FM level of substitution (p < .05). With the increased amount of LCSM in the diet, the activity of intestinal amylase (AMS) increased significantly (p < .05), and intestinal trypsin (TRP) decreased (p < .05). Dietary LCSM substitution upregulated the expression of intestinal tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), the nuclear factor kappa‐light‐chain‐enhancer of activated B cells (NF‐κB), and interleukin one beta (IL‐1β), but downregulated tight junction proteins ZO‐1(ZO‐1), transforming growth factor beta‐3 (TGF‐β3) and interleukin 10 (IL‐10) expression. Histological analysis revealed progressive morphological damage to the mid‐intestine with higher levels of FM replacement. These results showed that 88.5 g/kg (16%) of FM replaced by LCSM with amino acids (methionine and lysine) supplementation did not significantly reduce growth compared with FM‐based control.     

Intestinal microbiota of white shrimp,Litopenaeus vannamei,fed diets containing Bacillus subtilis E20‐fermented soybean meal (FSBM) or an antimicrobial peptide derived from B. subtilis E20‐FSBM

The purpose of the present study is to profile the microfloral structure in the intestines of the white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, after being fed a control diet, in comparison with the diets containing Bacillus subtilis E20‐fermented soybean meal (FSBM) or an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) isolated from B. subtilis E20‐FSBM (diets designated FSBMD and AMPD, respectively) for 60 days. Metagenomic data showed detection of eight phyla, 20 classes, 40 orders, 68 families and 96 genera. Despite no statistically significant difference, an evaluation of microbial diversity recorded higher species richness, Shannon–Weaver diversity index and evenness in the AMPD and FSBMD groups, compared to the control diet group. Venn diagrams showed that 58 of the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were shared among the control, FSBMD and AMPD groups, but additional beneficial microbes were only found in the FSBMD and AMPD groups. In addition to the augmentation of beneficial bacteria in the FSBMD and AMPD groups, the abundance of potential pathogens, Vibrio and Flavobacterium, was lower in the gut of shrimp fed the FSBMD and AMPD. The results clearly suggest that the FSBMD and AMPD have the capability to change the microfloral structure of shrimp intestines and could be used for disease prevention in shrimp aquaculture.     

Effects of dietary sodium butyrate on growth,diet conversion,body chemical compositions and distal intestinal health in yellow drum (Nibea albiflora,Richardson)

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of sodium butyrate (SB) on the physical barrier function, pro‐inflammatory response and possible underlying mechanisms in the distal intestine (DI) of yellow drum when fed a high‐SBM diet. Three iso‐proteic and iso‐lipidic diets were formulated with fish meal (FM, the control), 45% fish meal protein replaced by SBM (SBM) and 45% fish meal protein replaced by SBM but supplemented with 0.15% SB (SBM + SB). Fish were fed twice daily for 10 weeks. Results indicated that SB supplementation significantly increased the specific growth rate (SGR) and feed efficiency ratio (FER) and methionine content of muscle when compared with those of fish fed the SBM diet (p < .05). The morphologic histology results showed that SB dramatically improved the physical barrier structure, characterized as increases of fold height (FH) and muscular thickness (MT) (p < .05). RT‐qPCR data were accordant with morphologic histology results, in which claudin 3, claudin 4 and occludin were increased while claudin 7 and myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) mRNA expression levels were decreased (p < .05). Sodium butyrate also exerted anti‐inflammatory function, which may be attributed to the suppression of nucleus p65 protein expression. Results suggest SB can be incorporated in high‐SBM diets to ameliorate the negative consequences of alternative dietary ingredients on yellow drum physiology.     

Effects of dietary starch levels on the growth,plasma metabolites and expression of genes involved in glucose transport and metabolism in Pelodiscus sinensis juveniles

A 10‐week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the growth performance, glucose transport and metabolism of Chinese soft‐shelled turtles (Pelodiscus sinensis) exposure to graded levels of dietary starch (0.52%, 7.43%, 14.74%, 22.99% and 31.38%). The 360 turtles (initial body weight, 12.94 ± 0.50 g) with 12 replicates were randomly assigned to five experimental diets. The highest weight gain and specific growth rate (SGR) were observed in 7.43% group and the lowest in 31.38% group. The protein efficiency ratio, whole‐body lipid contents, hepatic glycogen contents and the 4‐hr postprandial plasma glucose levels were significantly increased with the increment of starch levels (p < .05). In contrast, the daily feed intake and feed conversion ration were significantly declined (p < .05). The mRNA levels of glucose transporter 2, glucokinase, pyruvate kinase, malic enzyme and acetyl‐CoA carboxylase alpha genes in the liver significantly increased as the increase in starch levels at 4‐hr and 24‐hr post feeding (p < .05). No significant differences were observed in the expression of gluconeogenesis genes at each time point (p > .05). These results suggested that dietary addition of starch up‐regulated hepatic glycolysis, glycogenesis and lipogenesis genes expression, but the deficient response of gluconeogenesis to dietary starch might be part of the causes limited the starch utilization. Based on the secondary polynomial regression of SGR, y = ?0.0011x² + 0.028x + 1.63 (R² = 0.9292), the 12.73% inclusion level of dietary starch was recommended in juvenile turtles.