Dietary taurine can improve the hypoxia-tolerance but not the growth performance in juvenile grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idellus

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary taurine, as a feed additive, on the hypoxia-tolerance and growth performance of the juvenile grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idellus, one of the most important and intensively cultured freshwater fish, with the largest production in China. Graded levels of taurine (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 g kg(-1) dry diet) were fed to grass carp juveniles (mean weight: 5.26 ± 0.03 g) for 8 weeks. The survival time during acute hypoxia increased as dietary levels of taurine increased, with the highest dose of taurine resulting in the best acute hypoxia-tolerance. The erythrocyte osmotic fragility in grass carp was significantly improved when dietary taurine level was at least 1.5 g kg(-1) diet and can be improved much more when dietary taurine level was up to 2.5 g kg(-1) diet. A significant correlation between hemolysis rate of the erythrocyte osmotic fragility test and the survival time of acute hypoxia (r = -0.873, P = 0.023 < 0.05) strongly suggested that the biomembrane stabilization function of taurine may contribute to its role of enhancing acute hypoxia-tolerance in grass carp. Dietary taurine cannot improve growth performance of grass carp, but it can increase the value of mesenteric fat index, indicating that dietary taurine influences the lipid metabolism. This study provides valuable information to improve hypoxia-tolerance of grass carp.

Taurine: a critical nutrient for future fish feeds

“…Positive health effects were also found in grass carp: although taurine has no effect on growth in this species, Yang et al (2013) showed that lower hemolysis rate was correlated with acute hypoxia tolerance. Thus, it may still be beneficial to supplement taurine in grass carp or other non-carnivorous species based on health aspects despite a lack of a growth response with low taurine diets.…”

Effect of dietary taurine supplementation on growth, digestive enzyme, immunity and resistant to dry stress of rice field eel (Monopterus albus) fed low fish meal diets

“…Interestingly, taurine was reported to improve the hypoxia tolerance of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) (Yang, Tian, Huang, Liang, & Liu 2013). Six taurine level were set under the lower fish meal in the experiment to research the effect on growth performance, and to highlight the importance of dietary taurine on antioxidant status and immune response of M. albus.…”

Effects of Dietary Taurine on the Growth, Digestive Enzymes, and Antioxidant Capacity in Juvenile Sea Cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus

“…Zhou et al () found that 0.2% taurine in a commercial diet (the content of taurine in the commercial diet was 0.245%) had no improving effect on the growth of shrimp, L. vannamei . In addition to its role in growth performance, dietary taurine could improve the hypoxia‐tolerance ability of juvenile grass carp (Yang et al ), increase antioxidative capacity of Chinese soft‐shelled turtles (Hou et al ), and alleviate cadmium‐induced oxidative stress in freshwater catfish (Kumar et al ). Therefore, as a kind of feed additive, taurine has been getting more and more emphasis in research on aquatic animals.…”