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Ontogenetic development of digestive enzymes and effect of starvation in miiuy croaker Miichthys miiuy  larvae

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Abstract

The ontogenetic development of the digestive enzymes amylase, lipase, trypsin, and alkaline phosphatase and the effect of starvation in miiuy croaker Miichthys miiuy larvae were studied. The activities of these enzymes were detected prior to exogenous feeding, but their developmental patterns differed remarkably. Trypsin activity continuously increased from 2 days after hatching (dah), peaked on 20 dah, and decreased to 25 dah at weaning. Alkaline phosphatase activity oscillated at low levels within a small range after the first feeding on 3 dah. In contrast, amylase and lipase activities followed the general developmental pattern that has been characterized in fish larvae, with a succession of increases or decreases. Amylase, lipase, and trypsin activities generally started to increase or decrease at transitions from endogenous to exogenous feeding or diet changes, suggesting that these enzymatic activities can be modulated by feeding modes. The activities of all the enzymes remained stable from 25 dah onwards, coinciding with the formation of gastric glands and pyloric caecum. These results imply that specific activities of these enzymes underwent changes due to morphological and physiological modifications or diet shift during larval development but that they became stable after the development of the digestive organs and associated glands was fully completed and the organs/glands functioned. Trypsin and alkaline phosphatase were more sensitive to starvation than amylase and lipase because delayed feeding up to 2 days after mouth opening was able to adversely affect their activities. Enzyme activities did not significantly differ among feeding groups during endogenous feeding; however, all activities were remarkably reduced when delayed feeding was within 3 days after mouth opening. Initiation of larvae feeding should occur within 2 days after mouth opening so that good growth and survival can be obtained in the culture.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under the program Science Fund for Creative Research Groups (No. 40821004) and The Ministry of Science and Technology of P. R. China under grant contracts Nos. 2007CB407305 and 006BAD09A02. We greatly appreciate the valuable comments of the editor and reviewers on the manuscript. We are grateful to Mr. Zhang MQ for his help in larval rearing.

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  1. Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nan-Hai Lu Road, Qingdao, 266071, People’s Republic of China

    Xiu-Juan Shan, Wei Huang, Liang Cao, Zhi-Zhong Xiao & Shuo-Zeng Dou

  2. Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People’s Republic of China

    Xiu-Juan Shan, Wei Huang & Liang Cao

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  1. Xiu-Juan Shan
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  2. Wei Huang
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Shan, XJ., Huang, W., Cao, L. et al. Ontogenetic development of digestive enzymes and effect of starvation in miiuy croaker Miichthys miiuy  larvae. Fish Physiol Biochem 35, 385–398 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-008-9263-9

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