SGER: Development of Equipement and Methodology for Simultaneous Measurements of Epithelial Transport and Oxygen Consumption

University Of Miami, Coral Gables FL

Investigators

Abstract

The present project seeks to develop equipment and methods to examine energy use by the intestine of marine fish. Marine fish are among the few animals that can drink seawater to avoid dehydration. Humans, by comparison, will die of dehydration if left with seawater as their only water source. The principal investigator of the present research activity has, for a number of years, been studying the physiology of the salt and water transport in the marine fish intestine, an organ which allows these fish to live in the ocean. This research effort has provided preliminary evidence suggesting that the intestine in marine fish requires high amounts of energy to process the ingested seawater. Furthermore, it appears that the metabolic cost of salt and water transport by the fish intestine might be higher than that of the kidney and other salt- and water-transporting organs in other animals. To determine the actual energetic cost associated with salt absorption in the marine fish intestine, development of novel equipment is necessary. The proposed equipment will allow for simultaneous measurements of both intestinal oxygen consumption, a reliable indicator of energy use, and salt transport, by making use of recently developed fluorescence based measurements of oxygen. The principal investigator is working in close collaboration with a company specialized in the development and production of scientific equipment for studies of organ and animal function. The expectation is that the designed equipment will be produced and tested within 12 months after which this novel technology will be made available for other researchers in the United States and the rest of the world.