Traced studies on metabolism of astaxanthin in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

The present studies were performed to investigate the metabolism of astaxanthin (Ax) in Atlantic salmon, especially in the liver of salmon. The investigations were undertaken in vivo salmon that were fed a diet containing 60 ppm 15, 15' 14C-labelled Ax prior to sacrifice. The samples of blood, bile, liver, gastrointestinal tract and contents, muscle, skin, remaining carcass and feces were taken for scintillation counting. The highest radioactivity (71.36%) of 14C-labelled Ax was found in the gastrointestinal contents and feces, 7.13% in the bile and 10.68% in the samples of liver, muscle, and skin at the end of the experiments. The metabolites of 14C-labelled Ax were extracted from the bile of the salmon and analyzed using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Predominant 14C-labelled Ax and its cis-isomers were found and no conjugation of 14C-labelled Ax was observed. These results indicate that 14C-labelled Ax was not conjugated into larger colorless compound in Atlantic salmon liver.