title: Age and dietary form of vitamin K affect menaquinone-4 concentrations in male Fischer 344 rats.
abstract: Phylloquinone, the primary dietary form of vitamin K, is converted to menaquinone-4 (MK-4) in certain tissues. MK-4 may have tissue-specific roles independent of those traditionally identified with vitamin K. Fischer 344 male rats of different ages (2, 12, and 24 mo, n = 20 per age group) were used to compare the conversion of phylloquinone to MK-4 with an equivalent dose of another dietary form of vitamin K, 2',3'-dihydrophylloquinone. Rats were age- and diet-group pair-fed phylloquinone (198 +/- 9.0 microg/kg diet) or dihydrophylloquinone (172 +/- 13.0 microg/kg diet) for 28 d. MK-4 was the primary form of vitamin K in serum, spleen, kidney, testes, bone marrow, and brain myelin fractions, regardless of age group. MK-4 concentrations were significantly lower in kidney, heart, testes, cortex (myelin), and striatum (myelin) in the dihydrophylloquinone diet group compared with the phylloquinone diet group (P < 0.05). The MK-4 concentrations in 2-mo-old rats were lower in liver, spleen, kidney, heart, and cortex (myelin) but higher in testes compared with 24-mo-old rats (P < 0.05). However, there were no age-specific differences in MK-4 concentrations among the rats fed the 2 diets. These data suggest that dihydrophylloquinone, which differs from phylloquinone in its side phytyl chain, is absorbed but its intake results in less MK-4 in certain tissues. Dihydrophylloquinone may be used in models for the study of tissue-specific vitamin K deficiency.
authors.affiliation: Jean Mayer US Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA. sarah.booth@tufts.edu
authors.forename: Sarah L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Booth
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: M Kyla
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Shea
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chamberland
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Crivello
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000737:chemistry; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D004032:Diet; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007668:Kidney / Q000737:chemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000737:chemistry; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D013154:Spleen / Q000737:chemistry; D013737:Testis / Q000737:chemistry; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024482:Vitamin K 2 / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D024482:Vitamin K 2; D014812:Vitamin K; C030814:menatetrenone