Carotenoid and Pterin Pigment Localization in Fish Chromatophores

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Abstract
The classical sulfuric acid method for the histochemical detection of carotenoids was adapted to give a reliable cytological localization of these compounds in fish chromatophores. [Tilapia melanopleura, Geophagus brasiliensis, Macropodus opercularis, Xiphophorus helleri and Aequidens portoalegrensis]. This procedure consists mainly in fixing skin fragments in glutaraldehyde and dehydrating in a 50% solution of glycerin followed by exposure to air. It is essential that the preparations permit direct contact of the sulfuric acid with the pigment cells. Under these conditions, carotenoid containing cells stain green or blue. When associated with the extraction of the carotenoids by acetone, the procedure permits the distinction between pterin and carotenoid in fish chromatophores.