Vitamin D3 in Tilapia mossambica: relevance of photochemical synthesis

The capability of fish to synthesize vitamin D on exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light was examined. Purposeful exposure of the freshwater fish Tilapia mossambica (Tilapia) to artificial UV light (300 nm) resulted in a significant increase of vitamin D3 with a concomitant decrease in provitamin D3 [7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC)], indicating that provitamin D3 was converted to vitamin D3. However, only 0.13% of the intraperitoneally injected 4-14C cholesterol was recovered in the vitamin D3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OH-D3) fractions after 15 h of irradiation. Thus, although fish is capable of photosynthesizing vitamin D through constant, prolonged exposure to UV light of appropriate wavelength, the contribution of this mode of synthesis is unlikely to be of any significance in its natural habitat.