Responses of adult crayfish to macro-nutrients intake alteration during juvenile stage on metabolism and intestinal microbiota

Red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii is becoming an ecologically and economically important crustacean species in China. In present study, whether the macro-nutrients intake intervention during early life in crayfish resulting long-term influences on nutritional use and metabolism were evaluated in view of the concept of nutritional programming effects. Juvenile crayfish underwent a 14 days of high-carbohydrate (43%) low-protein (17%) nutritional stimulus, following a 70 days of routine dietary feeding (carbohydrate 15%, protein 36%), until adulthood. Short- (14 days) and long-term (84 days) effects were evaluated respectively in terms of growth performances, digestive enzymes activities, body compositions, and intestinal microbiota (long-term only). Data showed that in the short term, it enhanced the activities of amylase and lipase but reduced the activity of trypsase in hepatopancreas. In the long term, it decreased the growth performances (SR and WGR) and modified the diversity of intestinal microbiota obviously (p < 0.05). Throughout the period it increased body crude protein level. All results indicated that early nutritional events caused long-term impacts on nutrient use thus affect physiology and growth until adulthood. In short, present work provided evidences to support the existence of nutritional programming effects in juvenile crayfish