High dietary starch impaired growth performance, liver histology and hepatic glucose metabolism of juvenile largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides

A 60-day experiment was carried out to investigate dietary starch levels on growth performance, hepatic glucose metabolism and liver histology of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides. Fish (initial weight 22.00 ± 0.02 g) were fed five graded levels of dietary corn starch (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 g/kg). Fish fed low (0 and 50 g/kg) dietary starch showed significantly higher weight gain than other groups (p < .05). Liver lipid and glycogen accumulations were induced when dietary starch higher than 100 g/kg. After 20 days of feeding, hexokinase activity and mRNA expression were decreased in fish fed dietary starch higher than 150 g/kg (p < .05) and the pyruvate kinase showed the opposite tendency. Insulin receptor 1 (irs1), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor and glucose transport protein 2 (glut2) mRNA expression were decreased with the increasing dietary starch after 10 days of feeding (p < .05). These results indicated gluconeogenesis was depressed and β-oxidation was enhanced in response to high dietary starch, while the glycolysis was inhibited and endocrine system was impaired when fish fed high dietary starch; then, glucose homeostasis was disturbed and finally led to the glucose intolerance of largemouth bass.