Growth performance, antioxidant capacity, tissue fatty acid composition and lipid metabolism of juvenile green mud crab Scylla paramamosain in response to different dietary n-3 PUFA lipid sources

Abstract An six-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) lipid sources on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, tissue fatty acid profiles, and expression levels of genes involved in lipid metabolism of juvenile green mud crab (Scylla paramamosain) (initial weight 45.3 ± 0.07 g). Three isonitrogenous and isoenergetic experimental diets were formulated to contain fish oil (FO), krill oil (KO) and linseed oil (LO), respectively. The results indicated that crabs fed the KO diet had significantly higher percent weight gain (PWG), specific growth rate (SGR) and feed efficiency (FE) than those fed the LO diet, while no statistic differences were observed between KO and FO diets. Dietary FO could significantly increase the concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) and lipid hydroperoxide (LPO) in hemolymph and hepatopancreas compared to dietary KO and LO, similar results were found in the levels of hepatopancreas 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHDG). Crabs fed the KO diet could significantly increase the activities of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and catalase (CAT) in comparison with FO and LO diets. Crabs fed with FO and KO had significantly higher contents of 20:5n-3 (EPA) and 22:6n-3 (DHA) in hepatopancreas and muscle than those fed with LO. While dietary LO could significantly promote the accumulation of C18:3n-3 (ALA) in hepatopancreas and muscle. The anabolic pathway relevant genes: fas and 6 pg d were up-regulated in KO diet. The catabolic pathway relevant genes, hsl, was up-regulated in FO and KO diets, cpt1, was up-regulated in KO diet. Moreover, crabs fed diet supplemented with KO could significantly increase the expression levels of srb2, srebp1 and hnf4α. These findings will provide the reference for the development of the diet for the growth stage of S. paramamosain, and could contribute to deepen the understanding of the physiological metabolism of dietary fatty acids for S. paramamosain.