Effect of dietary restriction on hepatic vitamin A content in aging rats.
The size and number of fat-storing cells (FSC), considered to be the main liver storage site of vitamin A, as well as hepatic vitamin A content, were studied in aging female Sprague-Dawley rats subjected soon after weaning to dietary restriction (R), that is, 60% of food consumed by their ad libitum-fed controls (A). In A or R rats, the FSC index (number of cells per 1000 hepatocytes) and volume density (% of hepatic volume) were increased significantly at 24-27 months compared with the younger age groups. The lipocyte index and volume density were also found to be significantly higher, after the first year, in R rats when compared to corresponding age-matched A controls. An increase in total vitamin A content was also noted with age in both groups. R rats exhibited higher retinol, retinyl ester, and total retinoid content than their corresponding controls, but the differences were statistically significant only at 12-14 and 24-27 months. These results indicate that, during aging, dietary restriction markedly increases vitamin A content in liver tissue, a change that may be relevant to the beneficial effect of this dietary manipulation on liver function.
Ferland
G
G
Department of Nutrition, Université de Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
Tuchweber
B
B
Bhat
P V
PV
Lacroix
A
A
D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004032:Diet; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005508:Food Deprivation; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012176:Retinoids / Q000378:metabolism; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000378:metabolism*
D012176:Retinoids; D014801:Vitamin A