title: Influence of diets supplemented with vitamins C and E on pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) blood parameters.
abstract: This study evaluated the influence of diets supplemented with 500, 800, 1200 mg kg-1 of vitamin C (ascorbic acid or AA) and vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol or alpha-T) on the physiological responses of pirarucu fed for 2 months. Weight and mortality were not affected by dietary vitamin type or their concentrations. Significant increase (p<0.05) on the red blood cells count was obtained on treatments with 800 and 1200 mg AA kg-1 and on the hemoglobin concentration on treatment with 500 mg alpha-T kg-1 relatively to control. Mean corpuscular volume presented a significant decrease (p<0.05) on treatment with 800 and 1200 mg AA kg-1 when compared to control. Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration was significantly high (p<0.05) on treatment with 500 mg alpha-T kg-1. Only in vitamin C treatments, we noticed a significant increase (p<0.05) in the number of leucocytes relative to control. All fish in the vitamin-supplemented treatments, except 500 mg AA kg-1, had high total protein values compared to control. Fish treated with 800 or 1200 mg alpha-T kg-1 also showed increases in plasma glucose concentrations. Our results suggest that 800 and 1200 mg AA kg-1 are probably the most suitable concentrations for pirarucu diets, although high vitamin E diets are not necessary for quantitative leucocyte increases for this species.
authors.affiliation: Aquaculture Department, INPA (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia), Av. André Araújo, 2936, P.O. Box 478, Manaus, AM, 69060-001, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jaqueline Inês Alves
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: de Andrade
authors.forename: Eduardo Akifumi
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Glauber Cruz
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: de Menezes
authors.forename: Elenice Martins
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Brasil
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roubach
authors.forename: Elisabeth Criscuolo
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Urbinati
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tavares-Dias
authors.forename: Jaydione Luiz
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Marcon
authors.forename: Elizabeth Gusmão
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Affonso
mesh_terms: D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001769:Blood / Q000187:drug effects*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D005398:Fisheries; D005399:Fishes / Q000502:physiology*; D006400:Hematocrit; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006454:Hemoglobins; D014810:Vitamin E; D001205:Ascorbic Acid