Kinetics and fates of ammonia, urea, and uric acid during oocyte maturation and ontogeny of the Atlantic halibut ( Hippoglossus hippoglossus L.)

Abstract

Considering that amino acids constitute an important energy fuel during early life of the Atlantic halibut ( Hippoglossus hippoglossus L.), it is of interest to understand how the nitrogenous end products are handled. In this study we focused on the kinetics and fates of ammonia, urea and uric acid. The results showed that ammonia ( T Amm: NH 3+NH 4 +), and urea–N contents increased during final oocyte maturation. Urea–N excretion dominated the total nitrogenous end product formation in early embryos. Later, yolk T Amm levels increased in embryos and ammonia excretion was low. In the last part of the embryonic stage T Amm accumulation dominated, and was apparently due to yolk storage. Around hatching, the larval body tissues (larva with yolk-sac removed) accounted for 68% of whole animal urea–N accumulation, while T Amm levels increased predominately by yolk accumulation. Afterwards, ammonia excretion dominated and uric acid accumulation accounted for less than 1%. Urea, synthesised either through the ornithine–urea cycle, argininolysis or uricolysis, accounted for approximately 8% of total nitrogenous end product formation in yolk-sac larvae. The results suggested that a sequence occurred regarding which nitrogenous end products dominated and how they were handled. Urea excretion dominated in early embryos (<7 dPF), followed by yolk ammonia accumulation (7–12 dPF), and finally, ammonia excretion dominated in later embryonic and yolk-sac larval stages (>12 dPF).