China Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine ›› 2022, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (12): 4625-4634.doi: 10.16431/j.cnki.1671-7236.2022.12.012

• Nutrition and Feed • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Biological Function of β-glucan and Its Application in Aquaculture

HOU Dongqiang1,2, ZHAO Hongxia1, PENG Kai1, CAO Junming2   

  1. 1. Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in South China of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China;
    2. College of Fisheries, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
  • Received:2022-05-08 Online:2022-12-05 Published:2022-12-01

Abstract: β-glucan comes from a wide range of sources, it mainly exists in plant and microbial cell walls and is composed of glucan monomers.β-glucan has a variety of structures, which has a variety of biological functions due to the variety and number of side chain residues.β-glucan can regulate immunity by reducing the expression of inflammation related genes and increasing the expression of immune factors, it plays a role in regulating lipid metabolism by reducing the production and absorption of lipids. By improving the scavenging activity of antioxidant enzymes, free radicals and superoxide anions, activating Nrf2 signaling pathway and up-regulating the expression of antioxidant genes, β-glucan can enhance the antioxidant capacity of the body and play the role of antioxidant.β-glucan can enhance the hypoxia tolerance, improve the ability to resist ammonia nitrogen stress, energy metabolism and the expression of antioxidant enzyme genes, and play an anti-stress effect.Since the prohibition of antibiotics, the research and application of β-glucan in aquatic animals have been gradually deepened, and β-glucan plays an important role in preventing aquatic animal diseases and reducing the use of antibiotics.In aquaculture, β-glucan can improve the growth performance of aquatic animals by increasing digestive enzyme activity, improving intestinal structure, optimizing intestinal flora and enhancing non-specific immunity.The combination of β-glucan has a better immune effect than the addition of a single type of immune stimulant.In this paper, the structural characteristics, biological activities, mechanism of action and application effects of β-glucan in aquatic animals were summarized, and the future development direction of β-glucan was prospected, which provides materials for realizing the ecological and healthy aquaculture of aquatic animals.

Key words: β-glucan; aquatic animals; nutrition; immune; antioxidant

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