A comparison of effects of glycocholic acid, taurocholic acid, and cholic acid on liver health in pearl gentian grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♂ × E. lanceolatus♀) fed a high-lipid diet

Present study investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of different primary bile acids (BAs) on liver health in pearl gentian grouper ( Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♂ × Epinephelus lanceolatus ♀) fed a high-lipid (HL) diet. A total of 375 healthy grouper (15.21 ± 0.05 g) was assigned randomly to 15 tanks, ensuring three replicates per group: control (C), HL, HL with glycocholic acid (GCA), HL with taurocholic acid (TCA), and HL with cholic acid (CA), for 8 weeks. The HL and all BAs treatment did not affect the FBW and WG ( P  > 0.05). Compared to C, the HL increased the lipid deposition and the il1β and tnfα expression, decreased the SOD and catalase activities ( P  < 0.05). Compared to HL, the GCA increased the lipid deposition, il1β and tnfα expression, malondialdehyde level, and pentanoic acid concentration ( P  < 0.05). Compared to HL, the TCA decreased the lipid deposition, il1β and tnfα expression, malondialdehyde level, hexanoic acid and pentanoic acid concentration, increased the SOD and catalase activities ( P  < 0.05). Compared to HL, the CA increased the lipid deposition and decreased pentanoic acid concentration ( P  < 0.05). Furthermore, all BA treatment groups were found to increase the size of the BA pool. The GCA, TCA, and CA treatments did not induce substantial changes in the structure and composition of the gut microbiota. The composition of SCFAs and BAs is influenced by the dietary intake of different BAs, resulting in distinct microbial-metabolite correlation. In summary, TCA protected grouper form liver impairment induced by a HL diet via improving lipid metabolism and inflammatory responses, and increasing antioxidant capacity.