Effects of Activated Charcoal Supplementation in Cottonseed Meal-Based Feed on Growth Performance, Antioxidant Capacity and Apoptosis in Juvenile Grass Carp  (Ctenopharyngodon Idella)

To evaluated the efficacy of activated charcoal (AC) in high cottonseed meal diets (CSM; 38.46% CSM content), experimental diets with three different AC addition levels (0%, 1.5% (AC1) and 3% (AC2)) were prepared and used to feed juvenile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idella; 5.0±0.5 g) for 8 weeks. The results showed that the CSM+AC1 group had significantly higher final body weight (FBW) and weight growth rate (WGR) (P < 0.05). Compared with the CSM group, plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and glucose (GLU) concentrations were significantly lower, and total protein (TP) concentration was significantly higher in the CSM+AC1 supplementation group (P < 0.05). Malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly reduced, and glutathione reductase (gr) transcription level was significantly up-regulated in CSM+AC2 group compared to the CSM group (P < 0.05). Total-superoxide (T-SOD) activity was significantly higher in the CSM+AC1 group than in the CSM and CSM+AC1 groups (P < 0.05). In contrast, GR activity was significantly lower in the CSM group than in the other two groups (P < 0.05). Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity was significantly lower in the CSM+AC2 group than in the CSM+AC1 group (P < 0.05). The antioxidant signaling molecule results suggest AC enhances hepatic antioxidant capacity by activating nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2)/ho-1 (heme oxygenase-1) levels and inhibiting keap1a/1b (kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1a/b) levels (P < 0.05). The apoptosis results indicated that the CSM+AC1 group inhibited apoptotic signaling through suppression of nuclear transcription factor pathway (inhibitor of kappa B kinase/beta (ikk&ikkβ), P < 0.05) and apoptotic markers (caspase8/9 (casp8/9), BCL2 associated X (bax), p38 mitogen-activatedproteinkinase (p38MAPK, P < 0.05). In conclusion, 1.5% AC can be used as a dietary supplement to improve growth performance and antioxidant capacity, inhibit apoptosis, and alleviate the adverse effects of CSM in Ctenopharyngodon idella.

Keywords: Herbivorous fish, cottonseed meal-based diet, activated charcoal, Growth performance, Liver health

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Liu, Hengchen and Gu, Zhengyan and Lin, Yan and Shao, Shanshan and Kebede Kassaw, Mohammed and Chen, Shiyou and Jiang, Wenqiang and Qian, Linjie and Lu, Siyue and Simin, LI and Miao, Linghong, Effects of Activated Charcoal Supplementation in Cottonseed Meal-Based Feed on Growth Performance, Antioxidant Capacity and Apoptosis in Juvenile Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idella). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4868984 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4868984