Dietary BmKn2-7 Supplementation Modulates Intestinal Microbiota and Hepatopancreatic Responses and Enhances Resistance to Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Litopenaeus vannamei
- 1Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Nutrition and Feed, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
- 2State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 999078, China
- 3School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lingnan Normal University, Zhanjiang 524048, China
Abstract
Background: Global expansion of Litopenaeus vannamei aquaculture has intensified the reliance on antibiotics for disease control, raising concerns about hepatotoxicity, microbiota dysbiosis and antimicrobial resistance. Synthesized scorpion venom-derived antimicrobial peptide BmKn2-7 is a promising alternative, but its efficacy and mechanisms as a dietary additive in shrimp remain unclear. Methods: A 56-day feeding trial was conducted with six diets: a basal diet (FM), four diets supplemented with BmKn2-7 (0.8, 1.6, 2.4 and 3.2 mg/kg), and a florfenicol diet (FL, 3.2 mg/kg). Results: Growth performance was unaffected by any treatment. However, FL group significantly reduced condition factor and hepatosomatic index and markedly increased serum ALT and AST. The A2.4 diet increased whole-body crude lipid contents and significantly elevated serum ACP, AKP, HDL-C, and TG. 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that intestinal microbial diversity indices were numerically highest in the A2.4 group, although pairwise differences were not statistically significant. A2.4 was also associated with reduced Vibrio abundance and enrichment of genera such as Acinetobacter, while FL induced pronounced community shifts. Hepatopancreatic transcriptomics and pathway analysis indicated that A2.4 was associated with shifts in amino acid, organic acid, and carbohydrate metabolism, together with enhanced endoplasmic reticulum protein processing, whereas FL was mainly associated with reduced V-ATPase-related proton transport. Key BmKn2-7 responsive genes were positively correlated with phosphatase activities and lipid parameters, and Hsp90b1 was negatively correlated with ALT and AST. Following V. parahaemolyticus challenge, A2.4 showed the lowest cumulative mortality, significantly outperforming FL and high-dose BmKn2-7. Conclusions: Dietary supplementation with BmKn2-7 at 2.4 mg/kg improves intestinal microbial homeostasis, metabolic and proteostatic functions, and resistance to V. parahaemolyticus. These findings support the further evaluation of BmKn2-7 as a potential feed additive for reducing antibiotic dependence in shrimp aquaculture.
Related
- Effects of Long-Term Salinity Exposure on Growth, Survival, Hepatopancreatic Health, and Intestinal Microbiota in Juvenile Chinese Mitten Crabs (Eriocheir japonica sinensis).
- Dietary Lipid Sources and Lysolecithin Modulate Growth, Lipid Metabolism, Hepatopancreatic Health, and Intestinal Microbiota in Macrobrachium rosenbergii.
- Effects of maternal supplementation with fatty acid-balanced oil on the performance of sows and intestinal barrier function of offspring
- Effects of rumen-protected valine supplementation on velvet antler growth, faecal microbiota, serum metabolites, and velvet antler gene expression in sika deer
- Intestinal microbiota-associated LysoPC(16:0) promotes endometriosis via PPARγ-mediated M2 macrophage polarization and IL-10 secretion
BibTeX
@article{chen2026dietary,
title = {{Dietary BmKn2-7 Supplementation Modulates Intestinal Microbiota and Hepatopancreatic Responses and Enhances Resistance to Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Litopenaeus vannamei}},
author = {Qiang Chen and Qi Wang and Qihang Liang and Beiping Tan and Shiwei Xie and Junming Deng and Wei Zhang and Hongyu Liu and Ling Zeng},
journal = {Metabolites},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/metabo16100797},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/16/10/797},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Dietary BmKn2-7 Supplementation Modulates Intestinal Microbiota and Hepatopancreatic Responses and Enhances Resistance to Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Litopenaeus vannamei
AU - Qiang Chen
AU - Qi Wang
AU - Qihang Liang
AU - Beiping Tan
AU - Shiwei Xie
AU - Junming Deng
AU - Wei Zhang
AU - Hongyu Liu
AU - Ling Zeng
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Metabolites
DO - 10.3390/metabo16100797
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/16/10/797
AB - Background: Global expansion of Litopenaeus vannamei aquaculture has intensified the reliance on antibiotics for disease control, raising concerns about hepatotoxicity, microbiota dysbiosis and antimicrobial resistance. Synthesized scorpion venom-derived antimicrobial peptide BmKn2-7 is a promising alternative, but its efficacy and mechanisms as a dietary additive in shrimp remain unclear. Methods: A 56-day feeding trial was conducted with six diets: a basal diet (FM), four diets supplemented with BmKn2-7 (0.8, 1.6, 2.4 and 3.2 mg/kg), and a florfenicol diet (FL, 3.2 mg/kg). Results: Growth performance was unaffected by any treatment. However, FL group significantly reduced condition factor and hepatosomatic index and markedly increased serum ALT and AST. The A2.4 diet increased whole-body crude lipid contents and significantly elevated serum ACP, AKP, HDL-C, and TG. 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that intestinal microbial diversity indices were numerically highest in the A2.4 group, although pairwise differences were not statistically significant. A2.4 was also associated with reduced Vibrio abundance and enrichment of genera such as Acinetobacter, while FL induced pronounced community shifts. Hepatopancreatic transcriptomics and pathway analysis indicated that A2.4 was associated with shifts in amino acid, organic acid, and carbohydrate metabolism, together with enhanced endoplasmic reticulum protein processing, whereas FL was mainly associated with reduced V-ATPase-related proton transport. Key BmKn2-7 responsive genes were positively correlated with phosphatase activities and lipid parameters, and Hsp90b1 was negatively correlated with ALT and AST. Following V. parahaemolyticus challenge, A2.4 showed the lowest cumulative mortality, significantly outperforming FL and high-dose BmKn2-7. Conclusions: Dietary supplementation with BmKn2-7 at 2.4 mg/kg improves intestinal microbial homeostasis, metabolic and proteostatic functions, and resistance to V. parahaemolyticus. These findings support the further evaluation of BmKn2-7 as a potential feed additive for reducing antibiotic dependence in shrimp aquaculture.
SN - 2218-1989
ER -