Multi-omics analysis revealed the effects of different astaxanthin sources on the antioxidant properties of Scylla...

Astaxanthin, a carotenoid present in many organisms, has antioxidant, coloration, and anti-inflammatory benefits, making it a safe and effective feed additive. In this study, Scylla paramamosain fed diets with 100 mg/kg synthetic astaxanthin and 25 mg/kg Haematococcus pluvialis exhibited the best growth performance. Increased astaxanthin levels in the feed also resulted in red coloration of the carapace. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis showed that synthetic astaxanthin promoted the metabolism of arachidonic acid (phosphatidycholine (PC, 35:3) and 20-hydroxyarachidonic acid through negative feedback regulation of carotenoids such as adh (alcohol dehydrogenase) and cyp2c (cytochrome p450 2c), thereby improving the antioxidant capacity such as sod1 (Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase), gsh-px (glutathione peroxidase), and bbox1 (gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase 1). Nature astaxanthin (Haematococcus Pluvialis) activates mitochondrial energy metabolism (ND2, ND4 and COX1, COX2, COX3) through negative feedback regulation of carotenoids (bcmo1, β-carotene-15,15'-monooxygenase 1), thereby improving the antioxidant capacity of crabs (sod1, fth1 (ferritin heavy chain) and bbox1).