The liver PA concentration and coenzyme A content rose significantly ( P<0.01), up to 31.04 mg kg -1, with increasing dietary PA levels and then plateaued. Hepatic catalase activities improved with increases in dietary PA, while the opposite was true for malondialdehyde contents. Intestinal α-amylase, lipase, protease, Na +-K +-ATPase, alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transferase activities were all elevated in fish fed PA-supplemented diets. Whole-body crude protein increased as dietary PA levels increased, while the opposite pattern was found for the crude lipid content. The results showed that survival rate, final weight, specific growth rate, protein efficiency ratio and nitrogen retention efficiency all increased significantly ( P<0.01) as dietary PA levels increased from 3.39 to 19.28 mg kg -1, whereas the opposite was true for feed conversion ratio. Four groups of juvenile Megalobrama amblycephala were fed three times daily with six semi-purified diets containing 3.39 (PA unsupplied diet), 10.54, 19.28, 31.04, 48.38 and 59.72 mg kg -1 calcium D-pantothenate.

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