Metabolism of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol in a teleost fish, the rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri).

Plasma concentrations of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) metabolites have been studied in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) adapted to varying environmental calcium concentrations in both fresh water and artificial seawater, and in natural seawater. In vivo, intraarterial injection of tritiated 25-hydroxycholecalciferol was followed by its transformation to a number of metabolites including compounds that cochromatographed on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol and 25,26-dihydroxycholecalciferol. Hypercalcaemia and increased environmental calcium were associated with a greater transformation to the compound cochromatographing with 25,26-dihydroxycholecalciferol, while hypocalcaemia and reduced environmental calcium concentrations induced more conversion to the 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol-like compound. In vitro, both metabolites were produced by liver but not by kidney preparations, and the difference in conversion ratios observed in vivo associated with changes in plasma calcium were also seen in vitro. It is concluded that the metabolism of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol in the trout can be influenced by calcium status, but at present the physiological importance of this metabolism and the mechanisms and site(s) of action of the metabolites are unknown.