Silymarin, Silybum marianum, Supplemented Weaning Diet Boosted Survival, Growth, Antioxidant Status, and Fatty Acids Profile of Seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax

Abstract

To sustain normal development, high survival, and rapid growth, marine fish larvae require a diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which could decrease the risk of reactive oxygen species accumulations. Consequently, a 60-day feeding experiment was conducted to determine the effect of silymarin (SM) supplementation in weaning diets on the growth performance, survival, antioxidant enzyme activities, and fatty acids profile of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) larvae. Four isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were investigated using SM at levels of 0, 200, 400, and 600 mg kg⁻¹ (SM_0.00, SM₂₀₀, SM₄₀₀, and SM₆₀₀, respectively). The findings showed that, in a dose-dependent manner, increasing dietary levels of SM enhanced survival, growth, and feed utilization. In the SM₆₀₀ group, the weight gain, survival, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) improved by 123.21, 11.66, and 38.72%, respectively, compared to the control group. The dose-response analysis demonstrated a strong positive correlation (R2=0.96) between SM levels and weight increase, and a strong negative correlation (R2=0.88) between SM levels and FCR. The antioxidant enzyme activities of larvae given SM-enriched diets were significantly greater than those of the control group. Compared to the control group, the CAT and SOD improved by 81.77 and 5.08% in the SM600 group. In addition, the saturated fatty acid content decreased while the unsaturated fatty acid content increased, particularly in the SM600 group. The results indicate that supplementing the micro diet of European seabass larvae during weaning with SM at a dose of 600 mg kg⁻¹ increases growth, survival, antioxidant status, and fatty acid profiles.