The influence of dietary arachidonic acid on growth, fatty acid profile and sex steroid hormones of F2 generation Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis)

•Dietary arachidonic acid (ARA) did not affect growth performance and morphological parameters of Acipenser sinensis.•Dietary ARA improved tissue ARA deposition, and enhanced the contents of ARA metabolitie, sex steroid and vitellogen.•1 % ARA would be optimal for steroid synthesis, which would promoted the ovary development of Acipenser sinensis. An 22-week feeding trial was performed to evaluate the effects of dietary arachidonic acid (ARA) on the growth performance, tissue fatty acid, ARA metabolites, sex steroid hormones and steroidogenesis-related gene expression in F2 generation Chinese sturgeon. Four diets with different ARA levels (0.0 %, 0.5 %, 1.0 % and 2.0 % in the diets) were formulated. The results showed that dietary ARA did not affect final body weight (FBW), weight gain rate (WGR), feed conversion ratio (FCR), survival rate (SR), hepatosomatic index (HSI), viscerosomatic index (VSI), condition factor (CF) and gonadalsomatic index (GSI) (P > 0.05), while tissue ARA deposition was significantly effected by the dietary ARA (P