title: Concentrations of selected carotenoids and vitamin A in human liver, kidney and lung tissue.
abstract: Concentrations of preformed vitamin A and five individual carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein and lycopene) were determined in liver, kidney and lung tissue from 20 autopsies of subjects ranging in age from 4 mo to 86 y. Total carotenoid concentrations in liver tissue were always greater than in kidney or lung tissue within the same patient. Total carotenoid concentration in adult subjects was 2.5-77.1 nmol/g tissue (mean 21.0 nmol/g tissue) in liver tissue (n = 14), 0.2-12.7 nmol/g tissue (mean 3.1 nmol/g tissue) in kidney tissue (n = 13) and 0.1-8.4 nmol/g tissue (mean 1.9 nmol/g tissue) in lung tissue (n = 13). Carotenoid content in tissue samples from two infants was low, ranging from 0 to 1.0 nmol/g tissue. beta-Carotene and lycopene were almost always the predominant carotenoids found in liver, kidney and lung tissue. beta-Carotene was positively correlated (P less than 0.05) with alpha-carotene, lycopene and total carotenoids in all of the tissues examined. In addition, beta-carotene and total carotenoids from liver tissue were positively correlated with the same carotenoids in both kidney and lung tissue within each patient. Total vitamin A (free plus esterified) concentration was 8.7-1102.2 nmol/g tissue in liver (n = 17), 3.5-343.9 nmol/g tissue in kidney (n = 14) and 0.7-404.6 nmol/g tissue in lung (n = 14). Vitamin A concentrations were significantly correlated with both beta-carotene and total provitamin A carotenoid concentrations in liver tissue, but not in kidney or lung tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801.
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Poor
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Wellman
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Erdman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000737:chemistry*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A; D002338:Carotenoids