title: Retinoic acid is present in the postnatal rat olfactory organ and persists in vitamin A--depleted neural tissue.
abstract: Vitamin A (VA), all-trans-retinol (at-ROL), and its derivative, all-trans-retinoic acid (at-RA), are required for neuron development. The effects of these retinoids are dependent upon the nutritional status of the rat and tissue-specific dynamics of retinoid access and utilization. The purpose of this study was to determine the status of at-ROL and at-RA in the peripheral olfactory organ of postnatal rats fed a normal diet and rats fed a VA-deficient (VAD) diet. Extracted retinoids were analyzed by HPLC. Resolved sample peaks were identified by comparing their elution times and spectra with those of authentic standards. Mean at-RA and at-ROL concentrations of 23 pmol/g olfactory tissue and 0.13 nmol/g, respectively, were recovered from olfactory tissue. The ratio of at-RA:at-ROL in olfactory was approximately 2 times that in testis and 200 times that in liver. at-ROL was depleted from the liver and olfactory organ of rats fed a VAD diet from birth to 70 d of age. Surprisingly, at-RA was still present in olfactory tissue from these rats. At 90 d of age, the VAD rats were frankly deficient and at-RA was no longer detectable in olfactory tissue. The comparatively high ratio of at-RA:at-ROL in the peripheral olfactory organ and the persistence of at-RA in at-ROL-depleted tissues strongly suggests that maintenance of local stores of at-RA is functionally relevant in this tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN 37209, USA. massonbatres@tnstate.edu
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Asson-Batres
authors.forename: W Bradford
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Gale
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Clark
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D009831:Olfactory Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000294:innervation / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A; D014212:Tretinoin