Influence of dietary phospholipid on growth performance, body composition, antioxidant capacity and lipid metabolism of Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis

This study determines the effects of level and source of dietary phospholipid (PL) on growth performance, body composition, antioxidant capacity and lipid metabolism in juvenile Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis. One control diet (PL-devoid) and six test diets containing three PL types (soybean lecithin, egg yolk lecithin, and krill oil) at two levels (1% and 3%) each were formulated to feed E. sinensis juveniles (0.26 ± 0.01 g) for 8 weeks. Final body weight, specific growth rate, weight gain and molting frequency significantly increased in the PL supplementation groups, and the crabs fed 3% krill oil showed the best growth performance. The total lipid of whole body was significantly lower in the PL supplementation groups than that in the control. With PL supplementation, the specific activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase in the hepatopancreas markedly increased, while malondialdehyde decreased. In addition, total lipid and triglyceride contents in the hepatopancreas significantly decreased in the PL supplementation groups. Real-time quantitative PCR revealed that dietary PL reduced hepatic lipid accumulation probably through inhibiting lipid synthesis related genes and promoting lipid export related genes at the transcriptional level. This study indicates that krill oil is an excellent PL source and the diet with 3% PL can improve growth performance, increase antioxidant capacity and promote lipid utilization for juvenile E. sinensis.