Berberine supplementation enhances antioxidant defense and glucose metabolism in crayfish (<i>Procambarus clarkii</i>) fed a high-carbohydrate diet

This study evaluated the impact of berberine (BBR) supplementation on growth, immune function, antioxidant capacity, and glucose metabolism in <italic>Procambarus clarkii</italic> fed a high-carbohydrate diet (HCD). Crayfish were assigned to three groups: a normal-carbohydrate diet (NCD, 33%), HCD (41%), and HCD with 50 mg/kg BBR (HCB). After an 8-week trial, no significant differences were observed in growth performance or body composition. However, BBR supplementation significantly improved antioxidant capacity by restoring superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and reducing levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px). BBR also mitigated HCD-induced hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia, while increasing hepatic glycogen content and promoting glycolytic enzyme activities (pyruvate kinase and hexokinase). Additionally, BBR elevated the expression of glycogen synthase and glycolysis-related genes (<italic>HK</italic>, <italic>PK</italic>, <italic>PFK</italic>) and decreased gluconeogenesis markers (<italic>G6P</italic>, <italic>PC</italic>). These findings suggest that BBR improves glucose metabolism and antioxidant defenses without negatively affecting growth in crayfish fed a high-carbohydrate diet. The abstract graphic is shown in <xref ref-type="fig" rid="Suppl-FigureS1">Supplementary Fig. S1</xref>.