A 9-week feeding trial was carried out with juvenile Jian carp to study the effect of dietary pantothenic acid (PA) on growth, body composition and intestinal enzyme activities. Semi-purified diets with seven levels (4.0, 15.5, 25.6, 36.1, 45.9, 56.1 and 65.9 mg PA kg )1 ) of supplemental calcium d-pantothenate were fed to Jian carp (13.0 ± 0.0 g). PA improved specific growth rate (SGR), protein productive value (PPV), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and lipid production value (LPV) (P < 0.05). Fish fed the control diet had significantly lower feed efficiency (FE) than that in any other group (P < 0.05). Body protein content increased with increasing PA levels (P < 0.05), but moisture, lipid and ash of fish carcasses were negatively related to the graded PA levels (P < 0.05). Intestine protein content (IPC), hepatopancreas protein content (HPC) and activity of a-amylase, lipase, trypsin, Na + ,K + -ATPase, alkaline phosphatase (AKP) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (c-GT) were all positively affected by the dietary PA levels (P < 0.05), while intestine index (ISI) and hepatopancreas index (HSI) decreased with the increment of supplemental levels of PA (P < 0.05). These results suggested that PA could enhance fish growth and intestinal enzyme activities. The dietary PA requirement of juvenile Jian carp, Cyprinus carpio var. Jian (13.0-73.0 g), for optimal growth estimated by the broken-line analysis was 23.0 mg PA kg )1 diet.
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This study was to investigate the effect of dietary pantothenic acid (PA) on the disease resistance, immune response and intestinal microflora on juvenile Jian carp (Cyprinus carpio var. Jian). Seven diets (4.0, 15.5, 25.6, 36.1, 45.9, 56.1 and 65.9 mg PA kg )1 ) were fed to Jian carp (12.95 ± 0.03 g) for 9 weeks. After 9-week feeding trial, the challenge experiment with Aeromonas hydrophila was conducted to determine the impact of PA on fish disease resistance. Survival rate after challenge was promoted with the increasing PA levels (P < 0.05). Blood counts also significantly increased up to the dietary PA level of 25.6 mg PA kg )1 (P < 0.05). Leucocyte phagocytic activity, lectin potency, lysozyme and acid phosphatase activity, and total iron-binding capacity were improved with increasing PA levels (P < 0.05). Serum immunoglobulin M level and agglutination antibody titre to A. hydrophila were increased (P < 0.05) in fish fed the diets with the dietary PA levels between 56.1 and 65.9 mg kg )1 . PA also promoted the growth and reproduction of Lactobacillus and depressed Escherichia coli and A. hydrophila (P < 0.05). These results suggested that pantothenic acid could improve disease resistance, immune response, and the balance of intestinal microflora in juvenile Jian carp.
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