Effects of dietary resveratrol supplementation on the growth performance, physiological health, transcriptomic response, and intestinal microflora of Litopenaeus vannamei

Abstract

We evaluated the effects of resveratrol (RES) supplementation on the growth performance, physiological health, transcriptomic response, and intestinal health of Litopenaeus vannamei. L. vannamei (initial body weight: 0.40 ± 0.02 g) were fed using six types of experimental diets (R0, R50, R100, R200, R400, and R800, supplemented with 0, 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg of RES, respectively) for 56 days. The results showed that dietary RES had no significant effect on the growth of L. vannamei. The survival rate (SR) of shrimp in the R400 group was significantly higher than that in the R0 group after exposure to Vibrio parahaemolyticus. RES supplementation dramatically enhanced the immunity of L. vannamei, as indicated by the increased serum levels of important indicators of immune function. The activities of intestinal digestive enzymes increased dramatically with increasing RES supplementation. Transcriptome analysis revealed that adding RES had a considerable effect on various metabolic and immune-related pathways in L. vannamei, including beta-alanine metabolism, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, and drug metabolism-other enzymes. 16S rDNA analysis indicated that RES supplementation improved the intestinal microflora composition of L. vannamei by enhancing the abundance of beneficial bacteria and reducing the abundance of harmful bacteria. In conclusion, this study indicated that RES supplementation at an appropriate dose (400 mg/kg) could improve the physiological health, regulate the response at the transcriptional level, and ameliorate the intestinal microflora structure of L. vannamei. These results offer novel ideas and theoretical support for using RES in L. vannamei cultures as an immune-boosting supplement.