Separate and combined effects of cyclic fasting and l‐carnitine supplementation in red porgy (Pagrus pagrus,L. 1758) |
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| Authors: | Natacha Nogueira Nereida Cordeiro Paula Canada Paula Cruz e Silva Rodrigo O A Ozório |
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| Institution: | 1. CMC, Centro de Maricultura da Calheta, Direc??o Regional de Pescas, Calheta, Portugal;2. CEM, Centro de Estudos da Macaronésia, Centro de Ciências Exactas e da Engenharia, Universidade da Madeira, Funchal, Portugal;3. CIMAR/CIIMAR, Centro Interdisciplinar de Investiga??o Marinha e Ambiental, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal |
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| Abstract: | We examined the effects of cyclic fasting in red porgy (Pagrus pagrus) fed different dietary carnitine levels. Juvenile fish (23.58 ± 3.49 g) were divided into eight groups – four groups were fed every day to apparent satiation, while the other four were fasted for 7 days every 2 weeks. In each feeding regime, two replicates were fed an l ‐carnitine non‐supplemented diet (46 mg kg?1) and the other two groups were fed an l ‐carnitine supplemented diet (630 mg kg?1). Fish fed 630 mg l ‐carnitine accumulated two times more l ‐carnitine in muscle than fish fed 46 mg l ‐carnitine. Cyclic fasting reduced the growth performance and lipid content in the liver. Carnitine supplementation did not affect performance and body composition, but decreased the n‐6 PUFA content. Moreover, the combined effects of fasting and carnitine supplementation were observed on reducing the n‐3 fatty acid content. Areas of steatosis were found in the livers of red porgy, but the results revealed that supplementation of l ‐carnitine in cyclic fasted fish contributed towards a lower degree of vacuolization than in fish fed to apparent satiation. Regardless of the feeding regime applied, the spleen of fish fed the l ‐carnitine‐supplemented diet was haemorrhagic and hyper activation of melanomacrophage cells was observed. |
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| Keywords: | fasting compensatory growth carnitine red porgy |
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