Effects of dietary supplementation of carotenoids on survival, growth, pigmentation, and antioxidant capacity of characins, Hyphessobrycon callistus

This study aimed to find out if dietary carotenoid (CD) supplement could make differences in survival, growth, pigmentation, and antioxidant capacity of characins Hyphessobrycon callistus, an ornamental fish. Two types of CD and its combination (AX — astaxanthin, BC — β-carotene, MX — 1:1 combination of AX and BC) at three concentrations (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg) were used resulting in nine pigmented diets. A diet without CD supplement served as control. No differences in growth and survival of the fish among treatments were found after 8 weeks rearing. Disregarding the types of dietary CD, AX dominated (> 98%) the body CD, indicating that this fish converted most dietary BC into body AX for storage. Body AX and BC content increased with increasing dietary CD concentration. Body AX in BC-fed fish was lower than that in both AX- and MX-fed fish. No difference in body AX was found between AX- and MX-fed fish, and in body BC in all pigmented fish. Serum total antioxidant status [TAS], serum antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase [SOD], glutathione peroxidases [GPx]) and serum transaminases (alanine aminotransferase [ALT], aspartate aminotransferase [AST]) were chosen as indices of fish antioxidant capacity. Antioxidant activities changed with dietary CD type and concentration. Pigmented fish had lower SOD, GPx and ALT than control fish; dietary CD types only affected SOD and ALT in fish. AX-fed fish had the lowest SOD. Dietary AX had more numbers of negative correlations with antioxidant parameters in fish than BC.