Intervention of re-feeding on growth performance, fatty acid composition and oxidative stress in the muscle of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) subjected to short-term starvation

The red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) is widely cultivated and consumed for its tender meat. The quality of P. clarkii is increasingly deteriorating due to a possible shortage of feed nutrition, posing a significant threat to its sustainability. To avoid the phenomenon mentioned above and enrich the culture technology of P. clarkii, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of re-feeding on alleviating oxidative damage caused by short-term starvation, as well as to investigate the relationship between oxidative stress and meat quality and its molecular regulation mechanism. A total of 600 crayfish weighing about 20.11 g were randomly divided into 4 groups: S0F0 (the control group), S0F3 (0 days of starvation and 3 days of re-feeding), S3F0 (3 days of starvation and 0 days of re-feeding) and S3F3 (3 days of starvation and 3 days of re-feeding). The results showed that starvation slowed down the growth of P. clarkii and significantly decreased the saturated fatty acids (SFA) contents in the muscle (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, starvation-induced production of large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in muscle, disrupted the structure of biomolecules in muscle, allowing myofiber to be destroyed, the structural basis of muscle and indirectly leading to muscle damage of P. clarkii. After three-day re-feeding, the growth performance of crayfish resumed. Besides, re-feeding induced the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway in the muscle and increased the expression level of downstream antioxidant enzyme genes, improving the ability of scavenging oxidative free radicals. The supply of feed also up-regulated the expression of MEF2a and MEF2b with the expression of MSTN being down-regulated, accompanied by a recovery of the textural properties and myofiber characteristics. Furthermore, the fatty acid composition was optimized where n3PUFA and n6PUFA mainly were changed. In summary, the growth of crayfish could be improved by re-feeding after three-day starvation and the negative impacts of starvation on muscle quality could be reversed by three-day refeeding.

Automated summary

The study found that starvation slowed down the growth of Procambarus clarkii and significantly decreased the saturated fatty acids contents in the muscle. Refeeding after starvation could reverse the negative impacts of starvation on muscle quality, promote the growth of crayfish, and enhance its ability to scavenge oxidative free radicals.