Influence of Dietary Vitamin E on the Content of Vitamin E in Blood Plasma, Ovary Tissue and onHemolysis of Cultured Female Grey Mullet (Mugil cephalus)

JIIN FUNG SHYU AND *BONNIE SUN PAN

National Laboratories of Food and Drugs,Department of Health , Executive Yuan
*National Taiwan Ocean University

ABSTRACT

   Commercial diets containing α-tocopherol (90mg/kg) were supplememted with 0, 100 and 200 mg/kgα-form vitamin E acetate respectively and fed to one-year-old (1+) grey mullet (Mugil cephalus)for 12 months. Plasma vitamin E increased as dietary vitamin E increased, and showed seasonal changes. It decreased from May to November, then gradually increased until the following February. Vitamin E content in ovary was the lowest (296-376ug/g lipid) in October and the highest (602-694ug/g lipid) in November, then decreased to 408-453 ug/g lipid in December. A negative relationship between vitamin E contents in plasma and in ovary was observed. Grey mullet erythrocytes appeared ellipsoidal in shape with a major axis of 9.24 to 9.88 um and a minor axis of 6.33 to 6.67 um. No significant difference was found in shape and size of erythrocytes from grey mullet fed with diets of different vitamin E levels. Spontaneous hemolysis was 7.55 - 7.71 % in an 8 h test, regardless of the dietary vitamin E intake of the fish. Body and ovary weights were significantly lower for mullet fed on commercial diets than fed on diets supplemented with vitamin E to 190 and 290 mg/kg.

Key words: Mullet, Vitamin E, Plasma, Ovary, Hemolysis