Volume 89, Issue 5, May (2003), pp. 589-596 © The Author 2003
doi:10.1079/BJN2003819

Medline/PubMed Citation | Related Articles in PubMed | Download to Citation Matcher  

Interaction between vitamins C and E affects their tissue concentrations, growth, lipid oxidation, and deficiency symptoms in yellow perch (Perca flavescens)

Kyeong-Jun Lee and Konrad Dabrowski^*
School of Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

 (Received 10 December 2001–Revised 28 November 2002–Accepted 5 December 2002)

We have conducted studies with juvenile yellow perch (Perca flavescens) over a period of 20 weeks to address the question of the interaction between water- and lipid-soluble antioxidant vitamins. Fish (2·25±0·14 g) were divided into twelve groups, and triplicate groups were fed one of four casein-based, semi-purified diets formulated to contain low or high vitamin E levels of either 5 or 160 mg/kg without or with vitamin C supplementation (250 mg/kg). Diets were designated as –C–E, –C+E, +C–E, or +C+E, respectively. The fish fed the +C+E diet showed significantly higher weight gain, feed intake, and feed efficiency than the groups fed vitamin C-deficient diets. Total ascorbate concentrations of liver were significantly higher in fish fed vitamin C-supplemented diets than in fish fed the vitamin C-deficient diet after 16 and 20 weeks. The liver α-tocopherol concentrations were increased by supplemental vitamin C in vitamin E-deficient dietary groups which indicates a sparing or regenerating effect of vitamin C on vitamin E. Fish fed vitamin C-deficient diets (–C–E and –C+E) exhibited severe deficiency symptoms, such as scoliosis, lens cataracts, anorexia, and haemorrhages. The cumulative mortality was significantly higher in the –C–E groups. The thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances value was significantly higher in blood plasma of fish fed a diet unsupplemented with both vitamins. The findings in the present study with yellow perch support the hypothesis that vitamin C regenerates and/or spares vitamin E in vivo.

Keywords:
Yellow perch: Vitamin C: Vitamin E: Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances: Deficiency symptoms