Isoleucine improved growth performance, and intestinal immunological and physical barrier function of hybrid catfish Pelteobagrus vachelli × Leiocassis longirostris

Abstract

This study was performed to determine effects of dietary isoleucine (Ile) on growth performance, and intestinal immunological and physical barrier function of hybrid catfish Pelteobagrus vachelli × Leiocassis longirostris. Six hundred and thirty fish (33.11 ± 0.09 g) were randomly divided into seven experimental groups with three replicates each, and respectively fed seven diets with 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, 12.5, 15.0, 17.5, and 20.0 g Ile kg−1 diets for 8 weeks. The results showed improvement of growth performance, feed intake, feed utilization, relative gut length (RGL), and intestinal fold height and width by dietary Ile (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, dietary Ile (12.5 g kg−1 diet) improved the activities of lysozyme (LZM), acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase and the contents of complement 3 (C3), C4, and immunoglobulin M (IgM) (P < 0.05). The c-type-lectin, c-LZM, g-LZM, and hepcidin mRNA expressions in the intestine were up-regulated in fish fed diets with 10.0–20.0 g Ile kg−1 diet (P < 0.05). Dietary Ile (10.0–12.5 g Ile kg−1 diet) increased intestinal β-defensin mRNA expression partially in association with Sirt1/ERK/90RSK signaling pathway. Dietary Ile (12.5–15.0 g Ile kg−1 diet) decreased oxidative damage and improved antioxidant ability by increasing activities and expressions of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase, glutathione-S-transferase (P < 0.05). The occludin, ZO-1, ZO-2, claudin3, and claudin 7 mRNA expressions in the intestine were up-regulated in fish fed diets with 10.0 and 12.5 g Ile kg−1 diet (P < 0.05), whereas the myosin light chain kinase gene expression was decreased in fish fed diets with 7.5–17.5 g Ile kg−1 diet. Dietary Ile (10–12.5 g Ile kg−1 diet) decreased apoptotic responses by reducing the expression of caspase3 and caspase 9 via the AKT/TOR signaling pathway. Based on the quadratic regression analysis of PWG, the dietary Ile requirement of hybrid catfish was estimated to be 12.43 g Ile kg−1 diet, corresponding to 32.05 g Ile kg−1 dietary protein. Collectively, dietary Ile improved growth performance and immunological and physical barrier function of intestine in hybrid catfish.