Abstract
The present study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation of chlorogenic acid (CGA) on growth performance, digestive enzymes, antioxidant activity, and immune factors of stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus). Ninety stellate sturgeon (600.98 ± 14.68 g) were stocked into nine 1500-L tanks to represent three treatments with three replicates (10 fish/tank) and fed on 0, 400, and 600 mg CGA/kg feed (T0, T1, and T2, respectively) up to apparent satiation three times a day for 45 days. The dietary levels of CGA showed a notable improvement (P < 0.05) in growth performance of stellate sturgeon and the highest values of final weight (863.93±12.82 g), weight gain (266.08±13.66 g), and specific growth rate (0.66±0.04 %/day) were observed by feeding the fish on the T2 diet. No notable effects between treatments were observed in hematological factors. A marked (P < 0.05) improvement in the activity of trypsin, chymotrypsin, and lipase was observed by feeding the fish on CGA diets compared to the control group (T0). Total immunoglobulin, immunoglobulin M, complement pathway activity, and lysozyme activity was higher in fish fed on CGA diets than the control group. The levels of serum antioxidant enzymes (CAT, GPx, and SOD) were significantly (P < 0.05) elevated, while MDA levels were markedly declined with increasing the CGA levels in diets. No significant differences were observed in acid phosphatase, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine phosphokinase, and lactate dehydrogenase among the experimental treatments. In conclusion, the present study revealed that the dietary CGA supplementation (400 mg/kg feed) revealed positive effects on growth performance, immune functions, and health status of stellate sturgeon (A. stellatus).