Effect of compound Chinese herbs on growth performance, digestion and serum biochemical indexes of Mandarin fish ( <i>Siniperca chuatsi</i> )

This study investigated the effects of compound Chinese herbs on the growth performance and serum biochemical indexes of Siniperca chuatsi . Using commercial finished feed as the basal diet for mandarin fish, a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine consisting of hawthorn, angelica, and astragalus (in a ratio of 1:2:7) was added at 0%, 1%, and 2% of the basal diet by weight. The experimental diets were fed to fish with an initial body weight of 11.10 ± 0.53 g for a period of 42 days. The results indicated that the weight gain rate of the 1% and 2% groups significantly increased compared to the control group (P &lt; 0.05). And the feed conversion ratio, viscera-somatic index, and hepatosomatic index were significantly decreased (P &lt; 0.05). In terms of serum biochemical parameters, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were significantly reduced (P &lt; 0.05), while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were significantly increased (P &lt; 0.05) in both the 1% and 2% groups; in addition, triglycerides and total cholesterol levels were significantly decreased in the 2% group (P &lt; 0.05). Regarding intestinal digestive enzymes, pepsin, trypsin, and lipase activities were significantly enhanced in the 1% and 2% herbal groups (P &lt; 0.05). In summary, the addition of 1% and 2% of a compound herbal mixture of hawthorn, angelica, and astragalus (in a ratio of 1:2:7) to the feed can improve the growth performance, digestive ability, and antioxidant capacity of Siniperca chuatsi .