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Published on: November 29, 2013
Dietary DHA-Enriched Phosphatidylcholine Enhances Muscle Health and Intestinal Barrier Function by Relieving
Qiang Chen1, Tianli Ren1, Jinqi Xu1
1Department of Aquaculture, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, 316022, China, zjou.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is critical for aquatic feed, but the physiological functions of marine-derived PC remain unclear. This study explored the regulatory role of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) egg-derived DHA-enriched PC (DHA-PC) in healthy farming of largemouth bass. An 8-week trial was conducted on juvenile largemouth bass (initial body weight: 4.31 ± 0.038 g) with 0% (control group), 3% and 6% DHA-PC supplementation. Results showed that DHA-PC enhanced serum immune indicators (alkline phosphatase (AKP) activity and albumin (ALB) content) and reduced alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity, while improving antioxidant capacity (increased reduced glutathione (GSH) content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) activity and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content) in multiple tissues. A total of 496 and 673 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in muscle transcriptomics between the CON group and the MDHAPC group, and between the CON group and the HDHAPC group, respectively, with enriched apoptosis-related mitogen-activated protein kinase/forkhead box O transcription factor (MAPK/FOXO) pathways. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) confirmed downregulated apoptosis genes (nfat2, jund, ap1, etc.) by DHA-PC. DHA-PC increased the activity of lipase and increased the mRNA expression of lpl and atgl in the intestine. In addition, DHA-PC optimized intestinal structure, upregulated tight junction/antioxidant genes (zo-1, claudin-1, cat and nrf2), downregulated inflammatory genes (il-1β and tlr2), and modulated intestinal flora (increased beneficial bacteria and reduced pathogens). In conclusion, dietary DHA-PC improves muscle and intestinal health via the "intestinal-muscle axis", providing a theoretical basis for its application as a novel nutritional strategy in aquaculture. Moreover, comparative analysis revealed that 3% DHA-PC supplementation was sufficient to achieve significant antioxidant effects, whereas 6% DHA-PC was more effective in optimizing intestinal microbial community structure.
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