Effects of Different Levels of Carbohydrates on Growth Performance, Hepatic and Intestinal Health, and Intestinal Microflora of Juvenile Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca)

Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) is a species with great potential for aquaculture in Eurasian countries, while feed costs limit the scale of pikeperch farming. Adding carbohydrates to the feed as an energy source is a viable approach to reduce costs and to improve the culture status of pikeperch. In this study, in order to determine the optimal carbohydrate requirement of pikeperch, three tapioca starch (8%, 10%, and 12%) added feeds were produced with isonitrogenous (51%) and isolipidic (11%). For 8 weeks, body weight was 1.20 ± 0.01 g, pikeperch were manually fed the trio of experimental diets until they seemed fully satisfied. The finding revealed that pikeperch can utilize dietary carbohydrate, but excessive dietary carbohydrate will adversely affect the growth performance. The growth and survival rate were decreased in pikeperch in S12 (P < 0.05). The α-amylase activity of S12 reduced in the intestine and lipid deposition was observed in the liver compared with the S8. In addition, proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin 1 beta (il1-β), interleukin 8 (il8), and tumor necrosis factor beta (tnf-β), in the liver and intestine elevate and anti-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin 10 (il10) and transforming growth factor beta (tgf-β), decrease with increasing dietary carbohydrate levels. Hepatic and intestinal antioxidant capacity were also adversely affected, with S12 significantly increasing malondialdehyde (MDA) contents and decreasing glutathione (GSH) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) (P < 0.05). The intestinal barrier function is also damaged, the height and width of intestinal villi decreased, and the expression of occludin-a, occludin-b, and zonula occludens-2 (zo-2) genes was decreased. Elevated levels of starch intake led to harm to gut microflora, reducing bacterial populations, simultaneously boosting the presence of detrimental bacteria (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, Achromobacter, and Rhodococcus) and diminishing the beneficial bacteria (Firmicutes). In conclusion, moderate addition of starch as an energy source can reduce feed costs; however, over addition can bring about organism damage and is recommended to be added at less than 10%.