title: The effect of riboflavin deficiency in rats on the absorption and distribution of iron.
abstract: 1. Riboflavin may play a part in the transport of iron across the gastrointestinal mucosa. Fe absorption was measured in the rat by monitoring whole-body retention of a dose of 59Fe using a small-animal gamma-counter. 2. Female Norwegian Hooded rats were fed on a diet deficient in riboflavin (B2-) from 5 weeks of age. Control animals, fed on a complete diet (B2+), were weight-matched to rats fed on the B2- diet. After 7 weeks all rats were fed on a test meal extrinsically labelled with 59Fe and whole-body radioactivity measured for 15 d. 3. Riboflavin deficiency was associated with a reduction in the percentage of the dose absorbed and an increase in the rate of loss of Fe post absorption. 4. A smaller percentage of the absorbed dose was present in the livers of the riboflavin-deficient animals.
authors.affiliation: MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, Cambridge.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Powers
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Fairweather-Tait
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D005260:Female; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007501:Iron / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats; D012257:Riboflavin Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D007501:Iron