UV‐light and dietary vitamin D and their effects on ionized calcium and 25‐OH‐D plasma concentrations in captive gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) |
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| Authors: | Ursina Tröndle Hanspeter W Steinmetz Simon R Rüegg Anja Müller Annette Liesegang |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Vetsuisse Faculty, Institute of Animal Nutrition, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland;2. Chester Zoo, Chester, UK;3. Section of Epidemiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland;4. IDEXX Laboratories, Vet Med Labor GmbH, Ludwigsburg, Germany |
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| Abstract: | In this study, the effect of ultraviolet (UV) light and dietary vitamin D on calcium metabolism in permanently indoor‐housed gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua ) was investigated. The study consisted of three periods, each completed with blood samples to analyse plasma concentrations of 25‐OH‐D, 1,25‐(OH)2‐D, ionized (iCa) and total calcium (tCa). During the first study period (D), animals were housed under routine conditions without UV‐light and fed a diet of different fish species, supplemented with 1,000 IU vitamin D per animal and day. The following study period (Baseline) of 28‐day duration consisted of the same diet without any vitamin D supplementation and without UV‐light. During the study period (UVB) artificial UV‐light was added for 3 weeks. The vitamin D content of fish was measured by high‐performance liquid chromatography. It varied between fish species and between facilities, ranging from no measurable content in capelin (Mallotus villosus ) to 7,340 IU vitamin D/kg original matter (OM) in herring (Clupea spp). The average dietary vitamin D content was 311 IU/kg OM at facility 1 and 6,325 IU/kg OM at facility 2, resulting in a vitamin D intake per animal and day without supplementation of 130 IU (25.5 IU/kg body weight BW) and 2,454 IU (438.2 IU/kg BW) respectively. The supplementation of vitamin D elevated significantly the plasma concentrations of 25‐OH‐D by an intraindividual difference of 15 (range ?2 to 59) nmol/L and tCa by 0.1 (0.0–0.3) mmol/L only at facility 2. The exposure to UV‐light raised the blood concentrations of tCa at facility 2 by 0.15 (0.1–0.2) mmol/L, and of iCa and tCa for females at facility 1 by 0.23 (0.13–0.41) mmol/L and 1.8 (1.1–2.5) mmol/L respectively. No significant influence of the study periods (D) and (UVB) was found for the concentrations of 1,25‐(OH)2‐D at both facilities. |
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| Keywords: | calcidiol calcitriol fish feeding indoor housing metabolic bone disease penguin
UVB
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