Supplementation of Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) diet with barberry (Berberis vulgaris) fruit extract: Growth performance, hemato-biochemical parameters, digestive enzyme activity, and growth-related gene expression

Abstract In this study, barberry fruit extract (BFE) was used as an herbal feed additive at 0 (control), 150, 300, 600, and 750 mg/kg to evaluate growth performance, physiometabolic responses, and gene expression related to growth and appetite in Siberian sturgeon. The fish (N = 150; 29.7 ± 2.2 g) were fed with the experimental diets for 56 days. Upon the completion of the feeding trial, the fish fed with BFE at 750 mg/kg showed higher growth indices than the control fish and the lowest feed conversion ratio (P   0.05), while a decreasing trend was seen in aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, glucose, and triglyceride contents by increasing in the dietary levels of BFE. The activities of lipase, amylase, and protease in the BFE-added groups were higher than the control group (P