Effect of dietary vitamin E and selenium supplementation on growth, body composition, and antioxidant defense mechanism in juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoide) fed oxidized fish oil

Six oxidized fish oil contained diets were formulated to investigate the effect of graded levels of vitamin E (VE) (α-tocopherol acetate: 160, 280, and 400 mg kg−1) associated with either 1.2 or 1.8 mg kg−1 selenium (Se) on growth, body composition, and antioxidant defense mechanism of juvenile largemouth bass. Another control diet containing fresh fish oil with 160 mg kg−1 VE and 1.2 mg kg−1 Se was also prepared. Over a 12-week feeding trial, about 5 % of Micropterus salmoide fed diet OxSe1.2/VE160 showed inflammation and hemorrhage symptoms at the base of dorsal, pectoral, and tail fin. Fish in all treatments survived well (above 90 %). Feed intakes (88.42−89.58 g fish−1) of all treatments were comparable. Growth performances (weight gain and specific growth rate) and feed utilization (feed and protein efficiency ratio) were significantly impaired by dietary oil oxidation, and they did not benefit from neither VE nor Se supplementation. Regardless of dietary VE and Se supplementation, oxidized oil ingestion resulted in markedly decreased hepatosomatic index and intraperitoneal fat ratio. Oxidized oil ingestion also induced markedly lower liver and muscle lipid contents, and these effects could be alleviated by dietary Se supplementation. Dietary oil oxidation stimulated hepatic catalase activities relative to the control, and supplementation of VE abrogated this effect. Hepatic reduced glutathione content in the control was markedly higher than that of treatment OxSe1.2/VE160, without any significant differences comparing with the other oxidized oil receiving groups. Hepatic glutathione peroxidase activity and liver Se concentration reflected dietary Se profile, whereas liver VE level reflected dietary VE profile. Compared with the control, fish fed diet OxSe1.2/VE160 obtained markedly higher serum, liver and muscle malondialdehyde contents, which droppe significantly with increasing either VE or Se supplementation. In conclusion, the overall results in this study suggested that both VE and Se inclusion could protect largemouth bass from the oxidative damage challenged by dietary oil oxidation.