article · Fishes
Dietary supplementation with powdered Astragalus membranaceus extract improves the growth and physiological health of juvenile striped catfish, Pangasianodon hypophthalmus. Feeding trials testing inclusion levels between zero and 4.5 grams per kilogram over a two-month period revealed notable improvements in weight gain, specific growth rates, feed intake, and feed conversion ratios. Although whole-body and amino acid compositions were unaffected, the extract enhanced the activity of key digestive enzymes, including lipase, protease, and alpha-amylase. The plant additive also strengthened the immune and antioxidant defences of the fish. Indicators of serum immunity, specifically lysozyme and total immunoglobulins, rose with increasing dietary doses. In addition, liver antioxidant enzyme activities increased while malondialdehyde levels fell, demonstrating reduced oxidative stress. Measures of liver function improved, and kidney markers remained unaffected.
Enhancing growth and natural immune defences is a major priority for maintaining productive and resilient fish farming operations. By demonstrating that a plant-derived extract improves digestive efficiency, antioxidant capacity, and immune markers in juvenile catfish, this research supports the development of functional aquafeeds. Such natural additives offer pathways to improve fish welfare and farming productivity without adverse effects on kidney function.
The findings point to an application as a functional phyto-additive within commercial aquafeed production for Pangasianodon hypophthalmus. Target users include aquafeed manufacturers and commercial catfish producers seeking natural performance enhancers. Based on the abstract, the work is at an applied and tested stage within an experimental feeding trial, meaning real-world adoption would require further piloting at commercial scale to verify cost effectiveness and performance in farm conditions.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
The present study evaluated the impacts of powdered Astragalus membranaceus extract (AME) on the growth, physiological responses, and serum immunity of Pangasianodon hypophthalmus juveniles. Four test diets were formulated to include varying AME levels as 0.0 (control), 1.5 (AME1.5), 3.0 (AME3.0), and 4.5 (AME4.5) g/kg. Fish weighing approximately 11.50 g were stocked into four triplicate groups and hand-fed on the test diets three times daily for two months. At 60 days post-feeding, the growth performance, including weight gain and the specific growth rate, was increased quadratically (R2 > 0.90) with increasing AME inclusion levels. An improvement in the feed intake and feed conversion ratio were also noticed in groups fed at different AME levels. The whole-body and amino acid composition were unaffected by the test diets. A significant quadratic trend in the digestive enzymes (lipase, α-amylase, and protease) was found along with increasing AME inclusion levels. Liver enzymes associated with liver functions were improved by AME dietary inclusion levels. Meanwhile, the blood urea nitrogen, uric acid, and creatinine values were unaffected by AME dietary inclusion. On the other hand, serum immunity (lysozyme and total Igs) was elevated with a significant quadratic trend along with increasing AME dietary inclusion levels. Liver MDA levels decreased with increasing AME levels. Liver CAT, GPx, and SOD enzyme activities demonstrated a significant increasing trend along with dietary AME inclusion. The aforementioned effects of dietary AME on P. hypophthalmus health underpinned the potentiality of AME to be used as a phyto-additive to improve the functionality of aquafeed.
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DOI: 10.3390/fishes7060319
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