The present study investigated the effect of dietary copper on alleviation the nitrite stress on the juvenile
oriental river prawn, Macrobrachium nipponense. Under two levels of nitrite (low nitrite: 0.01 mg/L; high
nitrite: 1.90 mg/L), four semi-purified diets with graded levels of copper (0, 30, 60 and 180 mg/kg diet) as
CuSO4⋅5H2O were fed to juvenile prawn (initial weight 0.103 ± 0.003 g) for 8 weeks. Growth and antioxidant
ability of prawns with low nitrite were higher than those of prawns with high nitrite. Prawns fed with Cu of
30 and 60 mg/kg diet had significantly higher weigh gain, specific growth rate and antioxidant enzymes
(T-AOC, Cu-Zn SOD and GPx) activities than those prawns fed diets with copper deficiency and excess
regardless of nitrite level (P < 0.05). MDA was the highest in prawns fed diets supplemented with 180 mg/kg
and the lowest in 30 mg/kg group (P < 0.05) regardless of nitrite level. The present study indicated that
nitrite stress could inhibit growth and antioxidant ability in prawn, but supplemented Cu of 30-60 mg/kg
diet could alleviate these adverse effects of nitrite