Synergistic effects of dietary vitamins C and E on methylmercury-induced toxicity in juvenile olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the synergistic effects of vitamin C and E on methylmercury (MeHg) toxicity in juvenile olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. In a 3×3 factorial design, 9 experimental diets containing three different vitamin C (0, 200 or 400 mg/kg diet in the form of l-ascorbyl-2-monophosphate) and vitamin E (0, 100 or 200 mg/kg diet in the form of dl-α-tocopheryl acetate) levels with the Hg toxicity level (20 mg/kg diet in the form of MeHg). Triplicate groups of fish averaging 2.3 ± 0.05 g (mean ± SD) were fed one of the 9 diets in a flow through system for 8 weeks. Fish fed 400 mg vitamin C/kg diet with 100 or 200 mg vitamin E/kg diet showed significantly (P < 0.05) higher weight gain (WG) than did fish fed the other diets. Fish fed 400 mg vitamin C/kg diet at all vitamin E levels and those which fed vitamin C and E equally at a rate of 200 mg/kg diet showed significantly (P < 0.05) higher feed efficiency (FE), specific growth rate (SGR) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) than did fish fed the other diets. Fish fed 200 and 400 mg vitamin C/kg diet exhibited significantly (P < 0.05) lower Hg concentration in their muscle as well as kidney than did fish fed the other diets. Therefore, these results clearly indicated that the synergistic effects of these two vitamins on MeHg toxicity by supplementing dietary vitamin C (200 and 400 mg/kg diet) with vitamin E (100 and 200 mg/kg diet) in juvenile olive flounder.