# Taurine Supplementation in Low-Fishmeal of Golden Pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) Diets: Improving Intestinal Health and Alleviation of Inflammatory Response

## TL;DR

Adding taurine to low-fishmeal diets improves the health and growth of golden pompano by enhancing digestion, reducing inflammation, and supporting gut health.

## Contribution

The study identifies optimal taurine levels (1.0–1.5%) for improving growth and intestinal health in golden pompano on plant-based diets.

## Key findings

- Taurine supplementation increased growth rates and improved hepatic antioxidant capacity in golden pompano.
- Taurine reduced intestinal inflammation by down-regulating pro-inflammatory genes and up-regulating anti-inflammatory genes.
- Optimal taurine levels enhanced gut microbiota diversity and digestive enzyme activity.

## Abstract

This study investigated the effects of supplementing a low-fishmeal diet with different taurine levels on golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus). This study demonstrates that adding 1.0–1.5% taurine to a low-fishmeal diet significantly improves the growth, digestive function, muscle quality, and gut health of golden pompano. This research provides a practical formula for using taurine to create effective, plant-based diets, reducing the reliance on fishmeal and lowering farming costs.

This research explored the effects of supplementing taurine in a low-fishmeal diet on the growth, hepatic antioxidant capacity, muscle quality, intestinal health, and alleviation of inflammatory response of golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus). Over an eight-week period, 300 juvenile fish (initial weight 9.4 ± 0.47 g) were randomly allocated into 12 net enclosures (1.0 × 1.0 × 1.5 m), with each treatment group comprising three replicate cages containing 25 specimens. The results demonstrated that an optimal taurine inclusion level of 1.0–1.5% significantly promoted growth, as evidenced by the increased weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR). It also protected hepatic health by reducing alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity and enhancing antioxidant capacity. Activation of the hepatic Nrf2/Keap-1/HO-1 signaling pathway increased the level of antioxidant gene expression, including catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). In addition, the appropriate supplementation of taurine significantly down-regulated muscle hardness-related genes (cathepsin B (CatB) and cathepsin L (CatL)) and promoted the growth and differentiation of myoblasts, thus improving muscle quality. The chymotrypsin of fish fed the A25T10 diet was significantly higher than those in other groups (p < 0.05). The amylase (AMY) of fish fed the A25T15 diet was significantly higher than those in other groups (p < 0.05). The Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson of fish fed the A25T15 diet were significantly higher than those in other groups (p < 0.05). Proteobacteria were the most abundant in group A25T10. The relative abundance of Photobacterium rose in the A25RT10 group. In this study, taurine supplementation can down-regulate the expression of intestinal pro-inflammatory factors (interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-8 (IL-8)) and up-regulate the expression of anti-inflammatory factor interleukin-10 (IL-10), enhance intestinal immunity, and improve intestinal digestion and absorption. Therefore, the addition of 1–1.5% taurine to low-fishmeal feeds can improve the growth performance of golden pompano.