Dietary l-carnitine supplementation recovers the hepatic damage induced by high-fat diet in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) via activation of Nrf2/Keap pathway and inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokine

A feeding trial for 8 weeks was performed to explore whether nutritional supplementation of l-carnitine may minimize the adverse effects of high-fat diet (HFD) on tilapia growth performance, antioxidant, immune parameters, inflammatory response, histopathology of liver, kidney, and intestine, as well as hepatic lipid metabolism aiming to reveal the mechanism and providing a shred of molecular evidence in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticous). Six groups of the Nile tilapia (17.13 ± 0.49 g) in triplicate were fed for 60 days. Six experimental diets were formulated, incorporating different concentrations of l-carnitine. The first three groups were administered a diet comprising 6% fat, with l-carnitine concentrations of 0, 0.5, and 1 g/kg diet was designated as F6Car0, F6Car0.5, and F6Car1, respectively. Moreover, the fourth, fifth, and sixth groups were fed on a diet containing 12% fat, with l-carnitine concentrations of 0, 0.5, and 1 g/kg diet, respectively termed F12Car0, F12Car0.5, and F12Car1. The main results were as follows: compared to the control group HFD caused a significant reduction in BWG and PER (P > 0.05), but significantly increased the feed conversion rate (FCR), hepatosomatic index (HSI), intraperitoneal fat (IPF), as well as increased visceral fat deposits and liver fat accumulation with higher activities of serum aminotransferases, glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol. HFD exacerbates hepatic lipid accumulation by enhancing lipogenic gene expression. HFD-fed fish exhibited the lowest crude protein and highest crude fat levels. This study demonstrates that dietary supplementation with l-carnitine significantly boosts growth, improves hemato-biochemical parameters, decreases lipogenesis, elevates lipolysis pathway genes, and lowers lipid levels, thereby rebalancing lipid metabolism and lessening hepatic steatosis. It also mitigates inflammation by downregulating pro-inflammatory genes, upregulating immune genes, and positively affecting Nile tilapia’s histopathology.