| Summary: | Astaxanthin (AST) is a beneficial dietary supplement in shrimp farming. However, the different effects of synthetic AST (S-Ast) and natural AST (N-Ast) on the postlarvae is unclear. These effects were compared by supplementation with a gradient of AST (0, 50, 70, 90, 140 ppm) for 35 days. Growth parameters including weight and length gain, carotenoid content, AST content and isomer composition, antioxidant capacity (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase), survival rate and mRNA expression levels for antioxidant enzymes in Litopenaeus vannamei postlarvae were measured. The results indicated that postlarvae given N-Ast had significantly higher growth performance and AST content. Although there were different ratios of AST optical isomers in the diets, there was a similar optical isomer content in juvenile shrimp. The cis/trans AST ratio and antioxidant enzyme (SOD and GPx) activities in N-Ast90 were the highest among all groups. Cumulative mortality in N-Ast90, N-Ast140 and S-Ast70 were significantly lower than in the control and N-AST50. The mRNA expression levels for the antioxidant enzymes (cMnSOD and GPx) also increased for N-Ast90-fed shrimp under stress conditions. These results suggest that an epimerase may exist in vivo and that an appropriate level of botanical AST in diets was approximately 90 ppm for L. vannamei postlarvae.
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