β‐Carotene of Arthrospira platensis versus vitamin C and vitamin E as a feed supplement: Effects on growth, haemato‐biochemical, immune‐oxidative stress and related gene expression of Nile tilapia fingerlings

Abstract

Microalgae are one of the most important sources of natural bioactive compounds, especially those revealing antioxidant activity such as β-carotene. Thus, this study was to compare the effects of dietary Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) or Vitamin E (αtocopherol) with β-carotene extracted from Arthrospira platensis on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) on growth, feed utilization, blood indices, antioxidant activity, non-specific immunological indices and related gene expression. Three hundred and sixty apparent healthy Nile tilapia (5.80 ± 0.286 g) were randomly distributed into four groups. Four isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were performed. A control diet was compared against three experimental diets supplemented with Vitamin C (0.5 mg kg −1 diet), Vitamin E (1 g kg −1 diet) or β-carotene (0.5 g kg −1 diet) for 10 weeks.According to the results, there was no significant difference in feed intake (p > 0.05) between experimental diets. Dietary Vitamins C and E and β-carotene significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the weight gain, final body weight, protein efficiency ratio, specific growth rate and apparent protein utilization in all groups, whereas the best FCR (p = 0.017) and the highest weight gain (p = 0.007) were detected in the β-carotene diet. Fish survival rates differed significantly (p < 0.05) amongst treatments, whilst fish fed a diet supplemented with β-carotene recorded the highest survival rate. The supplemental diet with β-carotene boosted the values of the biochemical and haematological parameters (p < 0.05) compared with the control diet. The activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in the liver (p = 0.0560; p = 0.0032; p = 0.0353 respectively) and tilapia muscles were higher in fish fed either β-carotene or Vitamin E (p = 0.0579; p = 0.1494; p = 0.2145 respectively) than other groups. The highest values of SOD, CAT and immune globulin M-2 gene expression (p < 0.05) were found in fish fed a diet enriched with β-carotene.These results suggested that the dietary incorporation of β-carotene had a superior impact on growth performance, haemato-biochemical and immune-oxidative stress biomarkers in addition to the associated gene expression of Oreochromis niloticus.

Effects of high dietary inclusion of Arthrospira platensis, either extruded or supplemented with a super-dosing multi-enzyme mixture, on broiler growth performance and major meat quality parameters

“…The levels of α-tocopherol found in the non-extruded and extruded A. platensis in this study were lower than those documented in the literature [ 50 ]. While the diminished α-tocopherol content warrants attention, it is essential to consider the broader nutritional context, as evidenced by studies such as the one by Taalab et al [ 51 ], which indicated that carotenoids like β-carotene, derived from Spirulina, could have a more pronounced effect than vitamin E on growth performance and various haemato-biochemical and immune-oxidative stress markers in broilers. Thus, while Spirulina supplementation enhances meat pigmentation and offers potential health benefits through its carotenoid content, the balance of nutrients, particularly the interplay between carotenoids and vitamin E, remains a crucial factor for optimizing both the quality of broiler meat and its acceptance among diverse consumer bases.…”

Effects of Dietary Vitamin C on the Growth Performance, Biochemical Parameters, and Antioxidant Activity of Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum, 1792) Postsmolts

“…In this study, VC supplementation obviously decreased the TG level of serum, suggesting that dietary VC levels did affect the coho salmon health. Blood TC including HDL-C as well as LDL-C levels had been documented to decrease [58][59][60][61], increase [36,62,63], or be independent [23,30,64] with dietary VC supplementation in fishes. VC had synergistic effects on cholesterol synthesis and catabolism; this might be the reason that VC had variable influences on serum cholesterol contents [65].…”