title: Vitamin A-deficient rats have only mild changes in jejunal structure and function.
abstract: This study investigated the effect of clinical and subclinical vitamin A deficiency on intestinal structure and function in rats. Weanling male rats fed a vitamin A-deficient diet (VA-) for 40-42 or 60-63 d were compared with rats either pair-fed (PF) or with free access to the same diet supplemented with vitamin A (VA+). A reference (REF) group was fed a standard rat diet. Weight began to plateau in VA- rats after 42 d, becoming significantly different from PF rats at 60-63 d (P < 0.02). Diarrhea did not develop in any study group. VA- rats had clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency in the 60-63 d study, but not in the 40-42 d study. However, serum and liver retinol concentrations were negligible in all VA- rats. VA- rats in the 60-63 d study had significantly reduced villus height (P < 0.02), and sucrase and maltase activities (P < 0.02) compared with PF rats. There were no differences between VA- and PF rats in mucosal wet weights, protein and DNA concentrations, thymidine kinase activity and glucose transport. No differences were detected in the 40-42 d study for any variable measured. Because clinical vitamin A deficiency in rats causes only mild changes in intestinal structure and function, it is unlikely that these alterations alone are responsible for the interactions observed in epidemiological studies between vitamin A deficiency and diarrheal disease.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Warden
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Strazzari
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Dunkley
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: O'Loughlin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004032:Diet; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D007583:Jejunum / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012016:Reference Values; D013393:Sucrase / Q000378:metabolism; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000520:alpha-Glucosidases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A; D000520:alpha-Glucosidases; D013393:Sucrase