Food Chem 2025 Dec 11;502:147550. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.147550.

Enhancing the quality of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus: Dietary protein-to-carbohydrate ratio promotes saponin biosynthesis via metabolic reprogramming and activation of mevalonate pathway.

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Understanding the nutritional regulation mechanisms of saponin biosynthesis in sea cucumbers is crucial for quality enhancement. This study combined feeding trials, multi-omics, and siRNA-mediated gene silencing to elucidate the mechanisms underlying dietary protein-to-carbohydrate (P/CH) ratio modulation of saponin biosynthesis. Sea cucumbers were fed eight diets (P/CH: 5 %/60 %-40 %/25 %) for 56 days. The P25/CH40 diet improved growth performance and body wall saponin content. Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed systemic metabolic reprogramming, characterized by enhanced amino acid metabolism, central carbon metabolism (glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, TCA cycle), elevated acetyl-CoA levels, and up-regulation of mevalonate pathway genes (HMGCR, SQS, SQLE). Silencing these genes in the P25/CH40-fed group significantly reduced saponin accumulation and altered the expression of biosynthetic genes. Our findings demonstrate that an optimal dietary P/CH ratio enhances saponin production via metabolic reprogramming and mevalonate pathway activation, identifying key regulatory targets and providing a foundation for nutritional strategies to improve sea cucumber quality through saponin content.

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