Effects of creatine on growth performance, muscle quality and lipid metabolism of juvenile large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) fed diets with high soybean oil

Abstract

This study evaluated whether dietary creatine supplementation could alleviate growth retardation and flesh quality deterioration induced by high soybean oil (SO) diets in juvenile large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea). Five experimental diets were formulated using fish oil (FO), soybean oil (SO) and SO supplemented with 5, 10, and 20 g/kg creatine. After a 70-day feeding trial, fish fed the SO diet exhibited impaired growth performance, reduced muscle springiness, gumminess and water-holding capacity, and increased lipid deposition compared with the FO group. Notably, supplementation with 10 g/kg creatine significantly improved growth performance and markedly enhanced muscle hardness, springiness and water-holding capacity. These improvements were accompanied by increased myofiber density, reduced myofiber diameter, and a reduction in muscle triglyceride and cholesterol contents. Mechanistically, creatine supplementation inhibited SO diet-induced expression of myostatin (mstn), and increased expression of myogenesis-related factors (e.g., myod, myog, mef2c). Meanwhile, creatine supplementation downregulated lipogenesis-related genes while promoting lipid transport and fatty acid oxidation in muscle. These findings demonstrate that creatine effectively reshapes muscle development and lipid deposition patterns under SO-based feeding conditions, thereby improving growth performance and flesh quality in large yellow croaker.

Keywords

Creatine / Fish oil replacement / Lipid metabolism / Muscle quality / Muscle development

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