title: Effect of vitamin K deficiency on urinary gamma-carboxyglutamic acid excretion in rats.
abstract: Since gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) in Gla-containing proteins is stoichiometrically excreted into urine as free Gla, urinary Gla excretion is believed to reflect the rate of synthesis and degradation of vitamin K-dependent proteins and the utilization of vitamin K in body. We studied the daily changes in urinary Gla excretion and plasma vitamin K-dependent clotting factor levels in rats fed vitamin K-deficient diets followed by subcutaneous injection of vitamin K1 or after the oral administration of Warfarin. Urinary Gla excretion in normal rats fed a standard diet that contained about 500 ng of vitamin K1 per gram of diet was 2.35 +/- 0.25 mumoles/day, but the level in rats fed a markedly vitamin K-deficient diet (less than 5 ng/g) decreased to 1.40 +/- 0.14 mumoles/day. When rats were fed a moderately vitamin K-deficient diet (20-50 ng/g), plasma vitamin K-dependent clotting factor levels decreased significantly, but urinary Gla excretion did not decrease. Warfarin, a vitamin K antagonist, caused a significant decrease in urinary Gla excretion and plasma clotting factor levels. When vitamin K, (200 micrograms/kg) was injected subcutaneously in rats fed a markedly vitamin K-deficient diet, the plasma vitamin K-dependent clotting factor levels recovered quickly to normal, but urinary Gla excretion showed only a partial recovery to 1.74 +/- 0.15 mumoles/day. These results indicate that urinary Gla excretion decreases in vitamin K deficiency, but changes in urinary Gla excretion do not reflect vitamin K deficiency in rats as sensitively as changes in the prothrombin time and plasma K-dependent clotting factor levels.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamano
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yasunaga
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uchida
mesh_terms: D015055:1-Carboxyglutamic Acid / Q000652:urine*; D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014813:Vitamin K Deficiency / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D015055:1-Carboxyglutamic Acid