Effect of a diet varying in astaxanthin concentrations on coloration and accumulation of dermal carotenoids in the false percula anemonefish, Amphiprion ocellaris

CHED 822

Loong Fat Ho, lho158@hawks.rwu.edu1, Stephen K. O'Shea, soshea@rwu.edu1, Harold F. Pomeroy, hpomeroy@rwu.edu2, Nancy E. Breen, nbreen@rwu.edu1, and Kevin G. Jackson. (1) Department of Chemistry, Roger Williams University, One Old Ferry Rd, Bristol, RI 02809, (2) Department of Biology, Roger Williams University, One Old Ferry Rd, Bristol, RI 02809
The key color promoting dietary carotenoid in false percula anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) is astaxanthin. Thirty day old juveniles were fed a diet consisting of 40, 60, 80, or 150 ppm astaxanthin for 90 days, with a subsample of five fish every 30 days. Dermal organic extraction was analyzed by UV/Vis for total carotenoid concentration (µg/mm2), and constituent carotenoid species determined by HPLC-UV/Vis (%composition and µg/mm2). Visual vibrancy (%Mean-Red-Pixels (%MRP)) was determined through digital image analysis. Over time, all treatments resulted in higher total carotenoid concentration, but no significant difference in accumulation rate was observed across treatments. Color analysis showed that higher concentration treatments produced significantly higher %MRP values, even though accumulation rates were statistically insignificant. HPLC-UV/Vis spectrometry revealed varying carotenoid %compositions across treatments and age, indicating that %MRP directly correlates to %composition, not total carotenoid concentration. This suggests that dietary carotenoid concentration directly influences the regulation of biochemical pathway activities.
 

Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Biochemistry
2:00 PM-4:00 PM, Monday, April 7, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Hall A, Poster

Division of Chemical Education

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008