STUDIES ON THE EXISTING STATE OF VITAMIN A IN FISH LIVER AND OTHER ORGANS I

Abstract

1. A microscopic survey was carried out on the morphology of tissues and the existing state of fat substances in several kinds of fish containing much vitamin A.
2. The lean tissue consists of compact protein substances in which micro-particles of lipoids are dispersed, but the fatty tissue is composed of lattice fibres consisting of coarse protein substances, among the lattice fibres of which a good deal of oil is contained.
3. The differences of the amount of vitamin A per g of tissue of several kinds of fish and organs are less than those of the amount of vitamin A per g of oil.
4. It was elucidated that vitamin A co-existed opulently with fat component in micro-particles in the mucous membrane of pyloric caeca of the oil sole as seen in frozen sections stained by the osmium-GDH method.
5. It was found that vitamin A existed in association with melanin pigments which are dispersed in liver tissues of the dog fish and other sharks, as can be demonstrated when their frozen sections are stained with osmium-GDH reagents after moderate defatting with absolute alcohol.