Effect of chronic hypovitaminosis A on water metabolism in the weanling rat.
To study water imbalance reported to occur in vitamin A deficiency, chronic hypovitaminosis A was produced in 7-week old rats by feeding deficient or adequate vitamin A (12 or 256 mug/kg body weight/day, respectively) for a comparison period of 6 weeks. In the case of the deficient rats, these were partially depleted of their vitamin A stores prior to feeding the 12 mug intake. At the termination of the comparison period, the deficient rats exhibited elevated cerebrospinal fluid pressure and lower plasma and liver vitamin A concentrations. Based upon kinetics of a single intrajugular injection of 3H2O and 14C-inulin, total body water, extracellular water and renal clearances were lower in vitamin A deficient rats. However, when these criteria were expressed on a body weight basis, there were no significant differences. The turnover of total body water was reduced in the hypovitaminotic A rats.  The results are discussed in terms of an inhibitory effect of vitamin A deficiency on growth.
D000818:Animals; D001834:Body Water / Q000378:metabolism*; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000503:physiopathology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004032:Diet; D004326:Drinking; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000378:metabolism; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000503:physiopathology; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D011312:Pressure; D051381:Rats; D014556:Urine; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000378:metabolism; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D014883:Water-Electrolyte Imbalance / Q000378:metabolism*
D014801:Vitamin A