AUTHOR=Dai Jihong , Ou Weihao , Yu Guijuan , Ai Qinghui , Zhang Wenbing , Mai Kangsen , Zhang Yanjiao 

TITLE=The Antimicrobial Peptide Cecropin AD Supplement Alleviated Soybean Meal-Induced Intestinal Inflammation, Barrier Damage, and Microbial Dysbiosis in Juvenile Turbot, Scophthalmus maximus

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.584482

DOI=10.3389/fmars.2020.584482

ISSN=2296-7745

ABSTRACT=<p>This study aimed to investigate the benefit of dietary cecropin AD (CAD) on the intestinal health of turbot (<italic>Scophthalmus maximus</italic>) fed diets with a high level of soybean meal. A 12-week feeding trial was conducted with four isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets: a fishmeal-based diet (FM), a diet replacing 40% fish meal protein of FM diet with soybean meal protein (SBM), and the SBM diet supplemented with 0.5 g/kg (C1) and 1.0 g/kg (C2) CAD, respectively. The results of histology of distal intestine (DI) showed that turbots fed the SBM diet exhibited distinct symptoms of enteritis. However, fish fed diets with CAD supplementation kept the normal appearance of the DI which was similar to that in FM group. Compared with the SBM group, diet with CAD supplementation significantly decreased the gene expression of intestinal pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (<italic>tnf-</italic>α), interleukin-1β (<italic>il-1</italic>β), interferon-gamma (<italic>ifn-</italic>γ), and nuclear factor-kappa B p65 (<italic>nf-</italic>κ<italic>b p65</italic>), while up-regulated the gene expression of intestinal tight junction proteins <italic>claudin-3, claudin-4, occludin</italic>, and zonula occludens-1 (<italic>zo-1</italic>). Besides, diet C1 shaped the intestinal microbiota profile toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype represented by the increased abundance of <italic>Blutia</italic>, Firmicutes/Bacteroides ratio, and decreased Prevotellaceae. In conclusion, dietary CAD could positively modulate the intestinal health of turbot from the impairment induced by soybean meal, which expands its application to help fish better adapt to the increasing plant protein level in aquafeed.</p>