Ascorbic acid requirements in relation to wound healing in the cultured tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Trewavas)

Abstract

. Ascorbic acid depleted Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings were fed on each of three diets providing nil, normal and luxus levels of the vitamin, after small surgical incisions had been made in the dursoluteral musculature. Fish from each group were sampled regularly over 16 days and histopathological evaluation of the lesion area carried out. The tissue ascorbate levels were measured in each group during the study. The results showed that the epithelial element of the healing process developed irrespective of the vitamin level but although fibroblast activity was marked in all three groups, coltagenization was very much slower in the deficient group, and in these the lesion was not mature, even at the termination of the experiment.