Effects of quercetin on growth performance,muscle nutritional composition,hepatic antioxidant,and immune-related gene expression levels in juvenile Carassius auratus
LI Xiaodong
YANG Yongqi
CAO Lu
HU Chang
LIU Shaozhen
Abstract：This experiment aimed to investigate the effects of dietary quercetin supplementation on the growth performance,muscle nutritional composition,hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities,and immune-related gene expression levels in juvenile Carassius auratus.A total of 300 healthy juvenile Carassius auratus with an initial body weight of(4.82±2.10)g were randomly divided into four groups,with three replicates per group and 25 fish per replicate.The control group(group CON)was fed a basal diet,while groups LQE,MQE,and HQE were fed the basal diet supplemented with 50,100,and 200 mg/kg quercetin,respectively.The pre-test period was seven days,and the formal test period was 56 days.The results showed that compared with group CON,the weight gain rate and specific growth rate in group HQE were significantly increased(P<0.05),and the hepatosomatic index was significantly decreased(P<0.05).Superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity in groups LQE,MQE,and HQE was significantly increased(P<0.05),and malondialdehyde(MDA)content was significantly decreased(P<0.05).Catalase(CAT)and alanine aminotransferase(ALT)activities in group LQE were significantly increased(P<0.05).CAT and alkaline phosphatase(AKP)activities in group MQE were significantly increased(P<0.05).Acid phosphatase(ACP),AKP,ALT,aspartate aminotransferase(AST),and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px)activities in group HQE were significantly decreased(P<0.05).The relative expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-8(IL-8),transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1),interleukin-10(IL-10),and CXC chemokine receptor 1(CXCR1)in group HQE were significantly increased(P<0.05).Histological observation indicated that group MQE had no adverse effects on the liver of Carassius auratus,whereas group HQE caused slight damage to hepatocytes.The study shows that a quercetin supplementation level of 200 mg/kg yields the optimal promoting effect on the growth and development of Carassius auratus,while a level of 100 mg/kg enhances hepatic antioxidant capacity and provides the optimal protective effect on the liver.
Keywords：quercetinCarassius auratusgrowth performanceliverantioxidantimmune-related genes
Publication Date：2025-12-28
Online Publishing Date：2026-01-31(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 56-62 )