Addition of Bamboo Charcoal to Selenium (Se)-Rich Feed Improves Growth and Antioxidant Capacity of Blunt Snout Bream (<i>Megalobrama amblycephala</i>)

The ability of bamboo charcoal to reduce the negative effects of high dietary selenium (Se) concentrations was assessed by feeding juvenile blunt snout bream (<i>Megalobrama amblycephala</i>) one of five Se-rich diets (1.5 mg/kg Se; 36% protein, 8.7% lipid) containing graded levels (0–4 g/kg) of bamboo charcoal powder for eight weeks. There were four tanks (350 L) of fish (initial weight 16.0 ± 0.5 g) for each treatment, and the fish were fed to satiation four times each day. At the end of the feeding trial, all of the fish from each tank were weighed to calculate the growth performance. Blood samples were firstly obtained to collect plasma for the biochemical indexes determination. Liver tissues were then collected to determine the antioxidant enzyme activities and gene expression. Dorsal muscles were also collected to determine the nutrient composition. The results show that when the bamboo charcoal content in the Se-rich feed ranged between 0 and 3 g/kg, the weight growth rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) values increased with the higher dietary bamboo charcoal content, and the maximum WGR and SGR values were achieved when the bamboo charcoal content in the Se-rich feed was 2–3 g/kg (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The Se content in muscle tissues decreased significantly with the increased bamboo charcoal content (<i>p</i> < 0.05) in the Se-rich feed, which ranged from 0 to 4 g/kg. When the bamboo charcoal content in the Se-rich feed was 2–3 g/kg, the levels of glucose (GLU) and albumin (ALB) in plasma reached a maximum (<i>p</i> < 0.05), whereas the level of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) reached a minimum (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Additionally, the activities of catalase (CAT), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), total antioxidative capacity (T-AOC), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were significantly enhanced (<i>p</i> < 0.05) when the bamboo charcoal content was 3 g/kg. In contrast, the malondialdehyde (MDA) level increased sharply when the bamboo charcoal content in the Se-rich feed was 1 g/kg, compared to the control group and the groups supplemented with 2–3 g/kg bamboo charcoal (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Regarding mRNA-level gene expression, the results show that dietary supplementation with 0 to 3 g/kg of bamboo charcoal increased the expression of <i>keap1</i> and <i>nrf2</i>, whereas <i>nfkb</i> expression was inhibited (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The mRNA expression of the antioxidant enzymes <i>cat</i>, <i>gpx</i>, and <i>mn-sod</i> was consistently enhanced in the group fed with the 3 g/kg bamboo charcoal diet (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines <i>tnfα</i> and <i>tgfβ</i> was inhibited in the groups supplemented with 2–3 g/kg bamboo charcoal, whereas the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines (<i>il10</i>) increased in the bamboo charcoal supplementation groups compared to the control group (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Generally, supplementation with 2–3 g/kg of bamboo charcoal in Se-rich feed improved the growth performance, physiological status, and antioxidant enzyme activities of blunt snout bream. Moreover, bamboo charcoal supplementation in Se-rich diets stimulated the antioxidant system and inhibited the inflammatory response by activating Nrf2-Keap1 and suppressing NF-κB.