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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

A Fish-feeding Laboratory Bioassay to Assess the Antipredatory Activity of Secondary Metabolites from the Tissues of Marine Organisms
Published on: January 11, 2015
TMAO-ase activity in tissues of fish species from the Northeast Atlantic
Abstract:
The influence of various parameters (evacuation; pH value; addition of Fe2+, cysteine, ascorbic acid and methylene blue) on the activity of the trimethylamine oxide demethylase (TMAO-ase) in extracts from the kidney of saithe (Pollachius virens L.) is described. Assay conditions resulting in maximum formaldehyde (FA) production were used to measure the TMAO-ase activity in kidney, spleen, liver, pyloric caeca, blood and muscle from Northern Atlantic fish species. Only in organs from fishes of the order Gadiformes could TMAO-ase activity be detected. The TMAO-ase was most active in kidney and spleen whereas in muscle the enzyme activity could be barely detected.
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