Vitamin E requirement of sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) and its' effects on nonspecific immune responses |
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| Authors: | Jiang Wang Yongping Xu Xiaoyu Li Jianguang Li Pengyun Bao Jian Che Shuying Li Liji Jin |
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| Institution: | 1. School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China;2. Ministry of Education Center for Food Safety of Animal Origin, Dalian, China;3. Life Science College, Dalian Fishery University, Dalian, China;4. Dalian SEM Bio‐Engineering Technology Company, Dalian, China |
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| Abstract: | This feeding trial was conducted to determine the vitamin E requirement of sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) and to study the effects of vitamin E on nonspecific immune parameters. Commercial sea cucumber diets supplemented with 0, 50, 100, 200, 500 or 1000 mg kg?1 vitamin E were fed to juvenile sea cucumber (7.96 ± 0.01 g) for 60 days. Specific growth rate and total coelomocyte counts were maximized in sea cucumber fed diets supplemented with 100 mg kg?1 vitamin E. Reactive oxygen species production was maximized at 50 mg kg?1 vitamin E, whereas superoxide dismutase activity was the highest in sea cucumber fed diets supplemented with 100 mg kg?1 vitamin E. The vitamin E concentration in the body wall of the sea cucumber increased as the vitamin E level in the diet increased. Analysis of specific growth rate and total coelomocyte counts of the sea cucumber indicated that 88–92 mg kg?1 vitamin E is required for maximal growth and nonspecific immune responses of A. japonicus and that 114.7 mg kg?1 vitamin E is required to minimize lipid peroxidation levels. |
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| Keywords: | sea cucumber vitamin E growth nonspecific immunity |
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