Dietary supplementation of curcumin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles stimulates immune response in the white leg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei challenged with Vibrio harveyi.

Pathogen infections in shrimps trigger the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as a part of immune response. The excessive accumulation of ROS causes the production of oxidative stress, which leads to oxidative damage of the biomolecules in the host cells. The inclusion of dietary antioxidants is known to mitigate oxidative stress and stimulate immunity.