Abstract
An eight-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of a dietary β-glucan application strategy on the growth performance, physiological response, and gut microbiota of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) (0.49 ± 0.17 g) under low salinity. Six feeding strategies were established, including a continuous β-glucan-free diet group (control), a continuously fed group with a 0.1% β-glucan diet (T1), and groups with the following intermittent feeding patterns: 1 day of β-glucan diet and 6 days of β-glucan-free diet (T2), 2 days of β-glucan diet and 5 days of β-glucan-free diet (T3), 3 days of β-glucan diet and 4 days of β-glucan-free diet (T4), and 4 days of β-glucan diet and 3 days of β-glucan-free diet (T5) each week. No significant differences in growth performance among all the groups were found, although the condition factor was significantly higher in the T3 group than in the T1 and T5 groups (p < 0.05). The T-AOC and GPX activities were significantly lower in the T3 group than in the control group (p < 0.05). The MDA content was also significantly lower in the T2 group than in the T3 and T4 groups (p < 0.05). Additionally, the mRNA expression of the Pen3a gene was significantly upregulated in the hepatopancreas of the T4 group compared to the control and T5 groups (p < 0.05), and the Toll gene was also significantly upregulated in the T3 group compared to the T1 and T2 groups (p < 0.05). Dietary β-glucan induced changes in the alpha diversity and composition of the gut microbiota in different feeding strategies. The beta diversity of the gut microbiota in the T2 group was significantly different from that in the control group. The results of a KEGG analysis showed that gut function in the carbohydrate metabolism, immune system, and environmental adaptation pathways was significantly enhanced in the T3 group. These findings provide evidence that the intermittent feeding strategy of β-glucan could alleviate immune fatigue, impact antioxidant ability, and change gut microbiota composition of L. vannamei under low salinity.