Abstract
The present study investigated the effect of dietary astaxanthin (AX) on the growth performance, antioxidant parameters, and repair of hepatopancreas damage in Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). To evaluate the hepatopancreas protective function of AX in shrimps, we compared the effect of five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets under oxidized fish oil conditions with varying AX levels during the 50-day experimental period. The formulated diets were as follows: (i) OFO (oxidized fish oil); (ii) OFO/AX150 (oxidized fish oil + AX150 mg/kg); (iii) OFO/AX250 (oxidized fish oil + AX250 mg/kg); (iv) OFO/AX450 (oxidized fish oil + AX450 mg/kg); and, (v) control group (fresh fish oil). Results showed that the oxidized fish oil with 275.2 meq/kg peroxide value (POV) resulted in a substantial decrease in the final body weight of L. vannamei (P > 0.05) and induced some visible histopathological alterations in the hepatopancreas. Growth performance was significantly higher in shrimps fed with the OFO/AX450 diet than those fed with the OFO diet (p < 0.05). However, no significant difference was observed when the OFO/AX450 diet was compared to the control diet containing fresh fish oil (p > 0.05). Moreover, shrimps under the OFO/AX450 diet displayed a significant improvement in hepatopancreatic health and showed a reduction of malondialdehyde (MDA) compared to those under the OFO diet (p < 0.05). Dietary AX improved the antioxidant capacity of L. vannamei by increasing the catalase (CAT) activity in the hemolymph. Acute salinity change test showed a higher shrimp survival rate under OFO/AX450 diet than the OFO diet (p < 0.05), suggesting that AX can contribute to enhanced stress tolerance. In conclusion, our data suggest that AX confers dose-dependent protection against OFO-induced oxidative insults and hepatopancreatic damage in shrimp.
Highlights
The marine carotenoid astaxanthin (AX) is naturally found in a wide variety of aquatic organisms, such as microalgae, crustaceans, and fish [1,2]
After the 50-day feeding trial, the final body weight (FBW) of shrimps fed with the oxidized fish oil (OFO) + AX450 diet was significantly higher than those fed with the OFO diet (p < 0.05)
Drugs 2020, 18, x gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), and survival rate were found in shrimps fed with the OFO diet, weight gain specific growthwere rate (SGR), and survival ratesurvival were found in shrimps fed with the no (WG), significant differences found in with the although no (WG), SGR, and among other dietary groups diet, no significant differences were found in WG, SGR, and survival among other (p > 0.05)
Summary
The marine carotenoid astaxanthin (AX) is naturally found in a wide variety of aquatic organisms, such as microalgae, crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, and shrimp), and fish (salmon and trout) [1,2]. AX has a hydrophobic polyunsaturated polar structure on both ends of the conjugated olefins structure, Mar. Drugs 2020, 18, 218; doi:10.3390/md18040218 www.mdpi.com/journal/marinedrugs. Mar. Drugs 2020, 18, 218 facilitating its precise positioning within cell membranes and circulating lipoproteins. Some studies demonstrated that dietary astaxanthin could increase the total antioxidant capacity (TOC), improve growth performance [5,6,7], increase survival [8], and enhance resistance to different types of environmental stresses, including salinity stress [9], oxygen depletion stress [10] and high temperature stress [11]. Dietary astaxanthin, which is a remarkable antioxidant, could be used to improve the growth performance and enhance the stress tolerance of marine species
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