Effects of Compound Feed Attractants on Growth Performance, Feed Utilization, Intestinal Histology, Protein Synthesis, and Immune Response of White Shrimp (Litopenaeus Vannamei)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: There have been few studies on the effects of compound feed attractants on the growth mechanism and health of aquatic animals. This study aimed to investigate the effects of compound feed attractants on the growth performance, feed utilization, intestinal histology, protein synthesis, and immune response of Litopenaeus vannamei. Seven diets were formulated, and shrimp (0.71 ± 0.00) g were distributed to seven groups of four replicates and fed for 7 weeks. In this study, diet supplemented with squid visceral powder, fish soluble, squid paste, and shrimp paste, and a diet supplemented with yeast extract, squid visceral powder, squid paste, and shrimp paste promoted the feed intake and growth performance and enhanced the antioxidative ability of L. vannamei. The combination of squid visceral powder, fish soluble, squid paste, and shrimp paste not only increased the protein synthesis, but also promoted the hepatopancreas and intestinal response of shrimp. Conversely, the diet supplemented with yeast extract, squid visceral powder, fish soluble, and shrimp paste may have some negative effects on the hepatopancreas and intestine of L. vannamei. ABSTRACT: To investigate the effects of compound attractants on the growth performance, feed utilization, intestinal morphology, protein synthesis, and immune response of Litopenaeus vannamei, the following seven diets were formulated: a positive control (P), a negative control (N), and five diets with compound attractants which were labeled as A, B, C, D, and E, each with four of five tested attractants (yeast extract, squid visceral powder, fish soluble, and squid paste, shrimp paste), respectively. Shrimp (0.71 ± 0.00 g) were distributed to seven groups of four replicates and fed for 7 weeks. Results showed that the final body weight, feed intake, specific growth rate, and weight gain of shrimp in the B and D groups were the greatest. Hemolymph total antioxidant capacity of shrimp in the B, D, and E groups reached the highest level. In the hepatopancreas, the activity of total nitric oxide synthase, malondialdehyde content, the expression levels of sod, myd88, eif4e2, and raptor in shrimp fed the B diet were the highest, and the highest levels of dorsal and relish were observed in the C group. In the intestine, intestinal muscle thickness and expression levels of toll and eif2α in the C group were the highest, while the highest expression level of sod and relish occurred in the B group. In summary, the B and E diets promoted the feed intake, growth performance and the antioxidant enzyme activity of L. vannamei. The C diet enhanced the protein synthesis of shrimp. Regression analysis indicated that the WG and FI of shrimp were increased as the dietary inclusion levels of squid paste and shrimp paste increased, while they were decreased as the dietary inclusion levels of yeast extract and fish soluble increased.