• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.601-607
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• 2002

The present study was designed to examine how sea tangle intake contributes to the content of bone calcium and breaking force of femur with growing female rats. Weaned rats were fed on experimental diets consisting in four levels of sea tangle powder; $0\%$ (control), $0.5\%$, $1.0\%$ and $1.5\%$ for 4 and 8 weeks. Body weight gain and feed intake were not significantly affected by added amount of sea tangle. Bone breaking strength, ash content and calcium levels of the femur of rats fed on diets with sea tangle were higher than those of control groups (p<0.05). But moisture content weight and length of femur did not show any significant difference among groups. TP, ALB, TC, TG, AIP, osteocalcin, GOT and GPT levels in serum did not show any significant difference through the total feeding period but calcium and phosphorus contents of serum increased with increase in feeding period, significantly in $0.05\%$ level by added amounts of sea tangle. Calcium levels in feces increased significantly (P<0.05), but ash levels were not changed significantly by added amount of sea tangle. We could expect from this results that the ingestion of sea tangle (Kjellemaniella crassifolia) could be helpfull to increase bone calcium content and calcium absorption as well as to intensify the femur stength and to increase the calcium content of rats.