| Abstract: | Phospholipids are used to improve the growth and survival of Portunus trituberculatus, a widely cultured crab species in China. However, only total phospholipids or several classes are applied in crab diets. In this study, we employed a targeted lipidomic method to investigate the comprehensive phospholipid composition in P. trituberculatus larvae and reveal the changing phospholipid profile over the larval development. Results showed that P. trituberculatus larvae contain 112 phospholipid species belonging to 10 phospholipid classes, in which phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) species are the most abundant, and PC, PE, phosphatidic acid, and phosphatidylserine (PS) are with high concentrations. The levels of all phospholipids significantly changed with larval development, which was highlighted by the downward parabolic changes in PE, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylino- sitol, PS, lysophosphatidic acid, and sphingomyelin levels. In addition, nearly all phospholipid species were depleted at the M stage, which probably contributed to the mass mortality of crab larvae. These findings on the composition and alterations of phospholipids in P. trituberculatus larvae provide novel perspectives for the targeted supplementation of phospholipids in crab diets. Our work also highlights the use of targeted UHPLC-MS lipidomics in understanding the changes of phospholipids during crab development. |
