Bioencapsulation of florfenicol in brine shrimp, Artemia Franciscana, nauplii

Abstract

The brine shrimp Artemia franciscana is one of the most common live-feed organisms for use in the larval culture of marine fish production. Bioencapsulation of florfenicol, an antibacterial agent, in Artemia nauplii was investigated as a potential carrier for this drug to marine larvae. Florfenicol was delivered directly to the organisms as particles, and the doses ranged from 100 to 2000 mg/l. Analysis of florfenicol concentrations in Artemia sp. nauplii were performed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The uptake of florfenicol in Artemia nauplii increased with particle size, dose, and exposure time, obtaining the highest concentration of 5.02 ng/nauplius, using a dose of 300 mg/l AQUAFLOR premix and 10 min exposure time. However, to obtain reproducible results, an enrichment time of at least 60 min is recommended. © 2010 Roiha IS, et al.